(Left) Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc in Netflix’s ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.’ Photo: Netflix. (Right) Sgt. Rock from DC Comics. Photo: DC Comics.
Preview:
- Daniel Craig may play the Sgt. Rock character for DC Studios.
- His ‘Queer’ director Luca Guadagnino is developing the film.
- The character was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert
How do you go about following a buzzy adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ cult novel ‘Queer,’ which is drawing plenty of praise and a wealth of awards chatter?
Apparently, if you’re star Daniel Craig and director Luca Guadagnino (who also this year brought us the much-discussed tennis drama ‘Challengers’), you pivot to developing a… DC Studios movie based on comic book… ‘Sgt. Rock’?
A film set within the DCU focusing on Sgt. Rock. Plot TBA Read the Plot
Yes, if we’re being completely honest, we would not have gotten that in a thousand guesses for the next project from these two.
Craig, of course, spent years working in the franchise world that is the James Bond cinematic universe, and has been quite vocal about his pleasure in getting to make something edgier now he’s no longer responsible for 007.
And Guadagnino is more known for the likes of ‘Call Me by Your Name,’ ‘Bones and All’ and ‘A Bigger Splash;’ in fact, the closest he’s come to this sort of filmmaking –– and it’s not that close –– is his remake of ‘Suspiria’ in 2018.
But here we are. At this point, of course, we have to point out that there is no official word from Warner Bros. or the DC Studios team, which is not surprising given how early this is and that Deadline reports no deals have been locked in yet.
But let’s dig in, shall we?
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What’s the story of ‘Sgt. Rock’?
Sgt. Rock from DC Comics. Photo: DC Comics.
The character of Sgt. Franklin John Rock was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert and first appeared in the 1959 DC issue ‘Our Army at War’ as a World War II soldier who served in the infantry.
The character scored his own comic book series in 1977, which ran until July 1988. Rock’s talent includes shooting down German plans with a single submachine gun and tossing grenades with great accuracy. When he’s without a gun, he’s a great street fighter, and can survive gunshots. He’s a calm guy with heart, but also has a “Combat Antenna” able to detect an incoming enemy siege.
Who else is working on ‘Sgt. Rock’?
Director Luca Guadagnino attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Right now, aside from Craig and Guadagnino –– who again, are not completely signed on for this –– Deadline also brings word that screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes has been working on the script. Which, given that he collaborated with the director on both ‘Challengers’ and ‘Queer’ suggests this is coming together.
There’s also the mention that Guadagnino might (if he signs on) push this ahead of his plan for a new ‘American Psycho’ adaptation, as we brought word about last month.
When will ‘Sgt. Rock’ be on screens?
With no official commitment to the movie yet, there is no information about a release date for the movie at this time.
Director Luca Guadagnino on the set of ‘Challengers’, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Niko Tavernise / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.