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Daniel Craig Has Reportedly Dropped Out Of DC Studios Sgt. Rock Film

Daniel Craig has reportedly dropped out of DC Studios' Sgt. Rock film, which is set to be directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes.

It seems a DC project that was flying a bit under the radar might have hit a significant snag. The first time we heard about a potential Sgt. Rock movie, it was back in September, and we learned that Luca Guadagnino was set to direct with Justin Kuritzkes writing the script. A few months later, it sounded like Daniel Craig was going to star, thus reuniting the team from Queer, and things have been quiet ever since. However, it sounds like the ink on the contracts wasn't exactly dry, or something happened because, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Craig is dropping out of the project. With the production reportedly set to start filming this summer, Warner Bros. and DC Studios have to suddenly find a new leading man available on relatively short notice. THR sources say several names are in the running, with Jeremy Allen White being one of them. There is a twenty-year age difference between Craig and White, so it must be a role written without taking the character's age into consideration.

The reason for Craig dropping out of Sgt. Rock isn't given, but there have been speculations from THR's sources. They start from the normal ones, which say, "The actor's schedule ran into roadblocks with that of his wife, actress Rachel Weisz." Good old scheduling conflicts, a tale as old as time. However, the other reason they are reporting that Craig dropped out is much pettier and doesn't exactly paint the actor in the best light. THR's sources say, "The actor soured on the role after Queer failed to perform not only at the box office but also in the awards season race."

Sgt. Rock: A WW2 Comic Book Hero With A Long Stint In Development Hell

Sgt. Rock, or Franklin John Rock, was first introduced in Our Army at War #83 in June 1983 from DC Comics. He was created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert. He has been popping around the DC Universe as a member of various teams, including the United States Army, Suicide Squad, and the Creature Commandos. People have been trying to make a Sgt. Rock movie for as long as some of you who are reading this article have been alive (the late 1980s/early 1990s). Arnold Schwarzenegger was set to star at one point because, of course, he was, and the film went through multiple different screenplays over the years. Eventually, Schwarzenegger was dropped, but there was some movement on the project in the early 2000s with rumors saying Bruce Willis might star and Guy Ritchie would direct, but nothing ever really came from it. The project continued to shift directions, including what time period it could potentially take place in, heading into the 2010s before the project faded into the depths of development hell.

Sgt. Rock is now in the new DC Universe, and that seemed to be the thing that brought all this back to the forefront. He appeared in a flashback in Creature Commandos, voiced by Maury Sterling, and we all know that the DC Universe is supposed to be pretty interconnected these days. Last September, we got word that Luca Guadagnino, of all people, was going to direct a Sgt. Rock movie with Justin Kuritzkes set to write the script. Guadagnino and Kuritzkes worked on Challengers and Queer in 2024, the first of which has gathered some critical acclaim and the latter of which was painfully overlooked by all of you. In November, it was reported that Daniel Craig was in talks to star, thus reuniting the team from Queer, but it sounds like the ink was never officially dry on any contracts. There are no other details or a release date.

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