Originally published on ProWrestlingSheet.

Dave Bautista has long-talked about wanting to star in a Gears of War movie ... and now he's taken the first step in making it happen by appearing in the next game.

The actor/retired wrestler made the announcement on Tuesday with a video of him in Gears armor saying "it's about f*cking time."

According to Xbox, Batista will be available as a Gears 5 multiplayer character wearing the armor of Marcus Fenix. Xbox also says they've partnered with WWE to create a special countdown to his availability in the game, including behind-the-scenes videos on Xavier Woods' UpUpDownDown gaming channel ahead of Clash of Champions.

Play any version of Gears 5 (including with your Xbox Game Pass membership) from September 15-October 28 to unlock the character.

According to the announcement, Dave had to record over 700 lines for his appearance in the game. Director Rod Fergusson, who has cast and directed every Gears title, talked about the process of directing Bautista in the press release.

“Adding Batista to Gears 5, we started with the fantasy of ‘Batista as Marcus,’ putting Batista into Marcus’ armor, and starting with Marcus’ script," he explained. "Then we added elements of “The Animal” Batista into his voice performance and onto his look by adding his signature Hollywood shades to his character.  Batista was great in the booth and I can’t wait for Gears and Batista fans alike to stomp some Swarm as The Animal.”

Check out the preview below.