Dave Bautista Says Guardians 3 Will 'Be the End of My Drax Journey': It Feels 'Bittersweet'

Dave Bautista is preparing for his "bittersweet" exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Chatting with PEOPLE while promoting his new campaign for the Disney+ streaming bundle, the actor admits that he isn't sure what the future holds for the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but says his time as Drax the Destroyer is almost over.

Bautista, 52, wrapped filming on Thor: Love and Thunder earlier this year and says he expects to begin production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in October.

"I don't know if they'll move forward with the character or with Guardians at all [after Guardians 3]," he says, adding that he's chosen to refrain from reading a script for the upcoming installment. "I'll probably have to do a table read but they would really even have to force me to do that. I like going in with no expectations, you know, because I'm a fan."

If all goes as planned, Bautista will finish production on Guardians 3 in April. "That will be the end of my Drax journey," he says.

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"It's been a hell of a journey with this cast and Guardians and the whole Marvel Universe," he tells PEOPLE. "I feel like it really launched my career. And I'm kind of wrapping up that part of my journey, so it's very much a bittersweet thing."

Before his career as an actor, Bautista spent over a decade wrestling. As a former WWE star, he said there's one last thing he would love to bring to his MCU character: more muscle.

"In the first film, Drax just came across so funny. I think they just wanted to tap into more of that, and that's who the audience fell in love with. So we never really got to see Drax the Destroyer," explains Bautista. "Maybe there'll be an opportunity in Guardians 3 so I won't feel like there was anything left on the table. I'd love to bring some of that physicality from wrestling into the Marvel Universe, and I just haven't had the opportunity to."

While Bautista's time with the MCU may be coming to a close, he's got a new gig with Disney. The actor has recently taken on the role of The Streamer, an outdoorsman who enjoys streaming all his favorite content on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

Believe it or not, the gig is even more out of his comfort zone than a human-turned-alien from a distant planet.

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"I'm so not outdoorsy. I grew up back and forth between Washington D.C. and San Francisco," he jokes of taking on The Streamer. "I was on Bear Grylls' show once, and I kind of did okay, I think. I probably survived a couple days before I just fell down and gave up. I'm just not outdoorsy at all, so it just makes it that much more ridiculous."

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Bautista is currently in Greece on the set of Knives Out 2 alongside Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton and Leslie Odom Jr.

Not many details have been revealed about the plot of the second installment in Rian Johnson's whodunit series, but Bautista teases a "great" cast of characters and an even more thrilling story.

"I really think it's going to be as good, if not better, than the first one. I'm always afraid to say that because I don't want anybody to get offended saying that we're going to be better, but I really do think this," he tells PEOPLE, adding: "I think the characters are just so much more colorful."