Luca Guadagnino’s 'Sgt. Rock' Movie On Hold At DC Studios
The film is NOT canceled, but a winter shoot is unfeasible so it’s looking to be punted to next summer
The DC Universe has had to surrender, and will have to soldier on another way. After all, movie making isn’t easy company. The Sgt. Rock movie directed by Luca Guadagnino has been put on hold at DC Studios, unable to make its originally planned August shoot date in England, and will try for next summer instead.
Budgeting wasn’t an issue, as the $65-70 million budget is basically considered a bargain. The production team would have had to rush through preparation to meet the ideal weather conditions at the right time. Shooting on-location exteriors in the cold of winter was basically a non-starter, being deeply sub-optimal conditions for anyone or anything involved, namely cast, crew and equipment. The film was in the throes of casting, mostly filling up his infantry unit at Easy Company as they fight off the Nazis in World War II. The halting reports have confirmed The Penguin star Colin Farrell cast as Rock after Daniel Craig, who worked with Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes on Queer, withdrew from his informal considerations. Despite Craig’s withdrawal, one of Guadagnino’s Challengers actors, Mike Faist and Alien: Romulus breakout David Jonsson were in deep talks if not already secured.
Colin Farrell Might Be Going From Mob Wars To Infantry As Sgt. Rock
Of course it had to be St. Patrick’s Day to get casting news involving an Irish actor. Awards season is over. The Batman Part II still doesn’t have a finished script. That doesn’t matter to Colin Farrell, because it seems he’s willing to stay in the realm of
The plot of the movie will hopefully still see Rock teaming with up with the female French Resistance fighter (who if cast was not uncovered) to find the mystical Spear of Destiny, which was used to stab Jesus Christ during his crucifixion, and said to have supernatural properties, before the Nazis can get their hand on it. Fans of the Arrowverse may remember its assembly was a major threat in the second season of Legends of Tomorrow as sought by a Legion of Doom consisting of Eobard Thawne aka the Reverse-Flash, Damien Darhk, Malcolm Merlyn, and a Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold pulled from before his death. They even mind-altered Rip Hunter and got Mick Rory aka Heatwave to join his best friend and betray the Legends. They sought to rewrite reality so they could rule and even briefly succeeded. Nazis in pursuit of such are probably looking to turn the tide of the war in their favor, though details of what they’re looking for are probably unavailable.
As far as Rock’s comic origins, he was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, debuting in Our Army at War #82 in 1959, and spawned his own comic series in 1977 which ran until July 1988. He can shoot down German plans with a single submachine gun, toss grenades with great accuracy, and utilize a “Combat Antenna” able to detect an incoming enemy siege. He is considered a great street fighter when not armed, and can survive gunshots. Adapted sparsely over the decades, the character has appeared in the DC Universe already on Creature Commandos, in flashbacks in the GI Robot focus episode "Cheers to the Tin Man", where he’s voiced by Homeland star Maury Sterling.
Guadagnino has his thriller After the Hunt for Amazon MGM opening October 10 and starring Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield. We may end up seeing his American Psycho remake with Lionsgate move in front of Sgt. Rock with these delays. Farrell still has his busy fall that includes the second season of Apple TV+’s Sugar, his Sony film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey alongside Margot Robbie which opens September 19 and the still-unscheduled film The Ballad of a Small Player.
The Wrap senior film editor Umberto Gonzalez originally reported the developments as a full cancellation before more credible writers at other publications made clarifications. I’ve never quite been able to trust Gonzalez’s reporting or methods ever since he tried to have me dogpiled for rebuking his claims that it was illegal to even allude to sources. But that’s just me.
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Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Arrowverse Wiki, The Wrap