Dave Bautista is set to star opposite Vin Diesel in the upcoming Chronicles of Riddick 2, David Twohy’s sequel to the 2004 science-fiction film. The WWE Superstar-turned actor is playing a character named Diaz after finishing a stint on RZA’s directorial debut Man With the Iron Fists opposite Russell Crowe.

Bautista, who is said to be in "9/10ths of the film," made his acting debut in 2006 in a small role on Smallville. After starring in 2010’s Wrong Side of Town, he took on roles in the DVD-direct feature The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption and House of the Rising Sun.

Chronicles of Riddick 2 is currently shooting in Montreal, based on a script by Twohy, who wrote both the first Chronicles of Riddick, and Pitch Black, where he first created the character of Riddick. The film also stars Jordi Molla, Katee Sackhoff and Karl Urban, and follows Riddick's adventures after he's betrayed and left for dead on an unfriendly planet. After intergalactic bounty hunters descend upon him, Riddick uses their attack as an instrument for revenge, even as he attempts to return to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction.

Bautista is repped by John Ryan Jr. of June Entertainment.