Dave Bautista is continuing to rise as a star thanks to projects like Guardians of the Galaxy, Dune, Blade Runner 2049, and many more. The Killer’s Game puts the wrestler-turned-actor back as the leading man as he is hunted by killers from around the world. Some of the killers include Drew McIntyre and Scott Adkins as the Scottish Mackenzie brothers and Marko Zaror as El Botas, a flamenco dancer/fighter.

Drew McIntyre is a WWE star who is currently feuding with CM Punk on WWE. The wrestler has a lot of appreciation for Dave Bautista, who was his mentor in wrestling and in acting.

“But to be there, be with Dave, who I grew up with in WWE, he was already a made star main event, or when I arrived in 2007 and I was a kid that knew nothing,” McIntyre tells Nerd Reactor. “And he helped guide me on my journey when I first arrived, not just navigating WWE, but also navigating life, because I was absolutely clueless. So just picked up from Scotland to college and dropped down, and he was there, you know, as a friend and mentor.

“And it’s interesting to fast forward so many years, the success he’s had in the entertainment world in Hollywood, and now he’s doing the exact same thing. He’s helping guide me along, mentoring me once again. And the experience on the movie was just unreal. It’s crazy what WWE prepares you for. It really prepares you for anything in life, but specifically this world. I was so nervous. Dave calmed my nerves. That red light went on; I just relaxed again.”

Scott Adkins plays Angus Mackenzie, the brother to Drew’s Rory. The martial arts actor has a career of going toe to toe with icons including Donnie Yen and Keanu Reeves. Here, he goes toe to toe with Bautista.

“I mean, obviously I don’t fight Drew, but I do fight Dave,” Adkins said. “It’s a different style – the wrestling. I think the martial arts stuff is a bit more quicker and choreographed. And I don’t say slick but like the wrestlers, it’s brute force, and they’re hitting each other for real. With the martial arts films, it’s a bit more intricate. So, you know, you got Drew fighting Dave, and it’s very much that wrestling style. Then I’m jumping in, and we’re tag teaming on him, and I’m doing a bit more acrobatic martial arts stuff. But they were both very, very confident. And considering it was Drew’s first film, you know that they took to it very well. And Dave is a super nice guy, and, you know, just a joy to work with.”

John Wick fans will recognize Marko Zaror in John Wick: Chapter 4, the imposing rival who served under the Marquis de Gramont, played by Bill Skarsgård. In The Killer’s Game, he gets to have a bit of fun in his role as Emilio “El Botas,” the killer who enjoys incorporating flamenco dancing into his routine.

“It was a big challenge,” Zaror said. “The fight with Dave was intense, man, because he’s more like a wrestler like you’re saying. So the whole strategy of mine was like, I didn’t want to get in. I didn’t want to get in to the close fight. Once I stop dancing, I’m out of my element. So he started dominating there, so I needed to get out of there. So, then you start telling the story of these two style guys fighting because of their abilities, you know. So that’s another element to consider when you’re creating all this. So it gives more realism to each scene. So it’s fun.”

About The Killer’s Game

Synopsis: In the new action-comedy The Killer’s Game, when top hitman Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late.

The film is directed by JJ Perry and written by Rand Ravich and James Coyne. It’s based on the book by Jay R. Bonansinga. Andrew Lazar, Steve Richards and Kia Jam serve as producers.

Dave Bautista stars alongside Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Drew McIntyre, Marko Zaror, Pom Klementieff and Ben Kingsley.

The Killer’s Game releases in theaters on September 13, 2024.