The cast of ‘The Wrecking Crew’ wants you to laugh and cry

Now in 2026, the film has made its way to Amazon Prime Video—with Momoa and Bautista onboard as both producers and leads, playing estranged half brothers whose shared father’s mysterious death forces them to reunite. The film boasts Blue Beetle’s Ángel Manuel Soto as director, Warrior’s Jonathan Trooper as the writer (who’s penning the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter), and a supporting cast that is similarly well-known in the genre space, including Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Morena Baccarin (Deadpool), and Temuera Morrison (Chief of War).

Though the film is set in the streets of Hawaii and was filmed in Oahu and New Zealand, I had the chance to meet and chat with Momoa, Bautista, and Soto during the London leg of their promotional tour, and hopped on Zoom with Batalon. They reflected on this period of their careers, the roles they want to be a part of their legacy, and of course, chatted all things The Wrecking Crew.

When Batalon met Momoa

According to Batalon, the script for The Wrecking Crew was just something that his agent had received. “He said that they're making it…in Hawaii. ‘It's going to be you, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Morena Baccarin…’ and I was like, ‘Well, you got me at Hawaii,’” he recalls.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Batalon was keen to film in his home state, but also to work with the cast. Though Batalon tells me that he’s known Bautista for a few years, he hadn’t crossed paths with fellow Hawaii-born Momoa before this film. Recounting his first time meeting Momoa, Batalon says, “He ran up to me and gave me a big bear hug and…was like, ‘Bro, I'm so excited for you to be here. Just so you know, we're going to be busting each other's balls.’”

Action you can laugh and cry to

Momoa was equally keen to return to his home turf as well as shoot in New Zealand, likening the filming to “being out in paradise and pretending like you’re working, when you’re actually just on vacation.” He enjoyed riding motorcycles and doing action for the film, but his favorite memories on set? All the laughing, specifically making Bautista laugh. “He’s got a great laugh,” Momoa tells me.

Bautista’s feelings are mutual, recalling how spending time together during See revealed how funny Momoa actually is. “I’d only seen him in mostly serious stuff, and…I couldn’t believe he wasn’t doing more comedy,” Bautista says. Bringing up Momoa’s 2020 Rocket Mortgage Super Bowl commercial, Bautista is glad that filmmakers (not just him) are tapping into Momoa’s comedic side. Saturday Night Live has indeed noticed, inviting Momoa to be a host in 2023 and for a recent cameo when Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard hosted in January. Much to the audience’s surprise and delight, Momoa appeared as a hunky Hagrid in the show’s Harry Potter meets Heated Rivalry “Heated Wizardry” skit.

Of course, I had to ask Momoa about it. He laughs, “I always say yes. I love SNL. It’s my favorite show on Earth.” He confesses though—while standing on a red carpet in London, no less—that he’s never actually watched or read Harry Potter. The SNL team simply played him the iconic clip of Hagrid declaring, “You’re a wizard, Harry,” and Momoa did the rest and hoped for the best. It worked. 

For director Soto, he tells me that “watching these two grown-*ss men share an emotional moment (from) the script” is ingrained in him. “If you can…cry while you’re watching an action movie, I think I’m doing my due diligence,” he explains, adding that audiences have left screenings saying the action was wild and the film was funny—but that they didn’t expect to feel so much. “That means a lot to me.” He notes that those moments were especially meaningful to witness because, “they’re good actors…if you give them the chance to explore something beyond what they’re being forced (to do).” One of those “emotional” scenes comes in the form of a pivotal rain-soaked fight between Momoa and Bautista in the film—packed with all the punches and emotional wrenches that a reunion of two estranged brothers would bring. 

As for films that have recently made Momoa and Bautista laugh and cry? For Momoa, a repeat viewing of Step Brothers (plus some mac and cheese) is his ideal night-in, and guaranteed to make him laugh. As for what’s made Bautista cry recently: The Shawshank Redemption.

Legends and legacies

When the trailer for The Wrecking Crew first hit the Internet, comments flooded in about the incredible lineup in the long awaited project: “Bruh that’s a ridiculously stacked cast the bbq is about to be fuego,” one commenter wrote, while another commenter said, “Ummm…holy ISH…I don’t even know what this is but every single cast member is a LEGEND.” 

I inform the legends themselves about these comments, and ask them about the role that they’d most like to be known for, either one they’ve already played or will play.

Bautista is touched by those comments and also knows his answer immediately. “I'm doing a film called Highlander right now…This will be my legacy role. I guarantee you,” he says. Indeed, he is starring as the main villain, The Kurgan, opposite Henry Cavill in the hotly anticipated fantasy-action film. 

Momoa ponders a bit, “It’s a great question. I’ve actually never been asked that…I don't think I'll ever get away from Khal Drago (from Game of Thrones) and Aquaman. That'll be forever.” He counts his role in See to be his most difficult role to date, but is interested in seeing the reaction to his villain turn in this year’s Supergirl film. “Now we'll see what happens with Lobo. It's a pretty iconic thing that…I've always wanted to play, but that's very small right now,” he says.

Batalon laughs off the comments, assuring me that he isn’t famous. Despite having 1.5 million Instagram followers and being a part of one of the biggest cinematic franchises, he tells me, “I don't want to start thinking that I am (famous), because when I start thinking that, it's over.” He laughs, “I (don’t) want to become a f*cking dick.” Batalon shot to fame with his second IMDb credit in the first installment of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films. Though fame and the promotional trail that his films entailed initially “all kind of felt like a circus” to Batalon, now almost a decade following his blockbuster debut, he’s gotten used to it—though he admits to still finding “flashing lights from the cameras…really f*cking annoying.” 

As for Batalon’s legacy role? He takes the Mark Hamill approach: he’s more than happy to be known for his character in the Spider-Man franchise, which first put him on the map. “I think I feel like a lot of actors sometimes get kind of butt hurt that they're only known for one thing, (but) without that one thing, you wouldn't be where you are. So I don't really mind that stuff. I think I love that people enjoy what I've been able to give them, and if people are real fans of me, they know that I'm doing other things, and they'll follow me in the future.” 

Reflecting on this moment in their careers

For the WWE-star-turned-actor Bautista, this moment in his career feels like a genuine turning point. Long known for genre roles such as Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Beast Rabban in Dune: Part Two, Bautista is beginning to experience a different kind of visibility. In the past few years, Bautista has served some memorable and critically lauded turns in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Last Showgirl, See opposite Momoa, as well as a fun cameo as himself in last year’s The Naked Gun. “I think it’s different for me,” he explains. “Jason’s been a huge star for a very long time. But I feel like I’m just starting to break into that mold because (in) most of my biggest successes, I’ve been heavily covered in makeup. I didn’t have the facial recognition that went with the success.” These days, he says, people are starting to recognize him more and more through film rather than from his wrestling days. “I feel like I’ve just become a movie star.”

Momoa is grateful for the ride and says this chapter of his career feels particularly exciting. “I think I finally kind of ticked off everything I wanted to do in my life,” he says. “This year, I’m playing my favorite comic book character, my favorite video game character, and one of my favorite series. Just so many cool things, and then we produce this, and I’ve got another TV show coming out.”

In a similar spirit to the birth of The Wrecking Crew, Batalon is busy creating his own vehicles, believing in “making your own chances.” He’s currently writing several screenplays (including an animated film)—many of which are “very melodramatic,” and explore what self-discovery looks like after post-university adulthood, and more. Writing has proved to him to be a deeply introspective process—“basically my version of therapy,” he jokes. We both agree it’s the cheapest and most creative option. I ask him if he’s writing with himself in mind to star in these projects. “I want to be the star of it…I want the credit for writing it, potentially directing. I'm selfish,” he laughs.