In March 2020, Drax actor Dave Bautista revealed that James Gunn, director of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, had pitched a film based around the characters of Drax and Mantis to Marvel Studios, but that it could not release within the next five years due to a full release schedule. Bautista was interested in appearing in the film. In May 2021, Bautista theorised that the studio may have had no interest in the project, due to a lack of communication about it. He indicated that he would likely retire from playing the role of Drax after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 due to his age, but Drax would remain in the MCU. Gunn replied through Twitter stating that he believed the role should not be recast.