Dave Bautista Is Pushing for a Sequel to His Most Underrated Film—Critics Panned It, Fans Can’t Get Enough
Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista is still riding for Stuber, calling the 2019 buddy-cop comedy his most underrated film and vowing to champion it to the grave despite the critics.
Dave Bautista is not done with Stuber. In fact, he thinks it is the most slept-on thing he has ever made, and he really wants another go. If you remember the 2019 buddy-cop comedy where a nearly blind detective hijacks an Uber for a day of chaos with a very stressed-out driver, that is the one. Bautista loves it. A lot.
Bautista really, really wants Stuber 2
He is proud of the movie, proud of director Michael Dowse, and proud of what he did with Kumail Nanjiani. And he is openly campaigning for a sequel just so he can reunite with both of them.
'Stuber is the most underrated film I have ever done... I am so proud of this film... I am going to pray every night and every day that this film gets a sequel.'
That is not a coy tease. That is a full-on please-let-me-do-this-again.
Quick refresher: what Stuber actually is
Released by 20th Century Studios on July 12, 2019, Stuber pairs Bautista as a cop who can barely see after eye surgery with Kumail Nanjiani as an unlucky Uber driver who gets dragged through an action-comedy day from hell. It is brisk, loud, and leans hard on the odd-couple energy. Bautista, to his credit, shows range beyond the usual tough-guy lane and clearly enjoys the ridiculousness.
So why did critics shrug while audiences had fun?
The critical consensus at the time was basically: great casting, uneven jokes. Reviewers said the movie does not maximize Bautista and Nanjiani's chemistry, and when it reaches for bigger ideas (toxic masculinity being the big one), it undercuts them by sidelining its women and treating them like props. On the other hand, viewers were kinder. The premise is absurd, the humor is offbeat, and plenty of people rolled with it.
The numbers, and why a sequel is not a layup
Stuber cost about 16 million dollars and made around 32.3 million dollars worldwide. Yes, that is technically double, which sounds solid, but once you factor in marketing and the studio split, it is more 'moderate' than 'must-franchise-this-now.' Financially, a sequel is not an obvious yes. Passion projects do not always care about obvious, though, and Bautista sounds like he would happily push to make it happen.
Could it work the second time?
If they do it, they have a clear to-do list: sharpen the script to actually capitalize on the Bautista/Kumail dynamic, stick the comedy beats more consistently, and give the women something to do besides react. The original has enough fans to justify curiosity, and Bautista's enthusiasm is infectious. Not a bad foundation.
- Director: Michael Dowse
- Main cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Bautista, Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales
- Release date: July 12, 2019
- Runtime: 1h 33m
- Rotten Tomatoes: 43% critics, 79% audience
- Budget: 16 million dollars
- Box office: 32.3 million dollars
- Where to watch (US): streaming on Fubo; rental on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV
Bottom line: Bautista wants back in the car with Mike Dowse and Kumail Nanjiani. If someone hands them the keys, I am curious to see if Stuber 2 can fix what did not land the first time and keep the chaotic energy that people actually liked.