Fresh off of the critical success of their William S. Burroughs-spun odyssey, “Queer,” director Luca Guadagnino and actor Daniel Craig are apparently teaming up once more, but this time for something a little bit different. According to Deadline, the duo are planning on working together on a “Sgt. Rock” film for DC Studios, with Guadagnino tackling this before he even gets around to the “American Psycho” reboot Lionsgate is apparently clamoring for.
Guadagnino and Craig have both seen a tremendous amount of success in the past few years, with Craig still delivering big hits and great performances in indie darlings long after his James Bond days have ended and Guadagnino knocking it out of the pack back-to-back with “Challengers” and “Queer” both in 2024. While the two both currently have the star power to make pretty much whatever they want, I can’t imagine that anyone on the planet would have guessed they would tackle something like “Sgt. Rock.” That leads to some pretty big questions, too, like whether or not the film will tie into the greater canon DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran are building for the new DC Universe. Of course, the even bigger question for many will be: who the heck is Sgt. Rock?
Guadagnino and Craig are unlikely picks for a Sgt. Rock flick
While there currently aren’t any formal deals in place for Guadagnino and Craig to work with DC Studios, Deadline’s sources say the “Sgt. Rock” script is being penned by frequent Guadagnino collaborator Justin Kuritzkes, who penned both “Challengers” and “Queer.” This seems like the world’s most unlikely team for “Sgt. Rock,” an old DC Comics character best described as a gritty, embittered old soldier who manages to survive against all odds during World War II. According to Bruce Campbell, who helped revive the character for a comics series called “Sgt. Rock vs. Army of the Dead,” he’s “basically the best soldier in the world. Loyal, smart, tough as hell, gritty, fearless, yet he’s terrified.” That’s a role that Craig could absolutely pull off, though it seems like a strange turn at this point in his career. Then again, maybe he really just wants to do something really different and get into the blood and guts a bit (the opposite of something like his comical detective Benoit Blanc).
There have been attempts at getting a “Sgt. Rock” movie going for some time, with Guy Ritchie attached to direct the film for producer Joel Silver back around 2008. However, it’s safe to assume that whatever Guadagnino has planned is going to be a completely different kind of movie. There’s even potential for Sgt. Rock to be a part of the DCU’s “Gods and Monsters Phase One,” which will kick off with “Creature Commandos” on December 5, 2024. For now, though, it’s all kind of up in the air.
If nothing else, it will be very interesting to see if this project actually comes to fruition. Between Daniel Craig playing the world’s most badass WWII soldier and Guadagnino lending his style to a comic book movie, this version of “Sgt. Rock” could actually be really, really cool.
