Well, this isn’t all that shocking. Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (“Challengers”) has exited his first high-profile comic book film as he will no longer direct “Sgt. Rock” for Warner Bros. and DC Studios. “Sgt. Rock” was expected to follow the grizzled American combat veteran during the theater of World War II, but further details were being kept under lock and key.
The bad news comes to us from The Wrap, who explain that the project has been “scrapped” and comes down to scheduling issues linked to a heap of exterior shots that needed to be captured over the summer. Gudagnino, who was tasked to both write and direct the comic book romp, is moving on. Other trades are backing up the report, cementing its demise.
They also point out that the budget wasn’t a problem, as the WWII actioner was only said to cost $70 million, which is a reasonable amount of money for a period action film linked to the DCU.
Guadagnino was once expected to reuinte with “Queer” star Daniel Craig in the DC pic before his involvement vanished only for Colin Farrell to step in to play Sgt. Rock instead. Farrell is still expected to reprise The Penguin for Matt Reeves in “The Batman: Part II,” whenever that goes in front of cameras.
What was the scheduling issue? Well, Guadagnino is also working on a remake of “American Psycho” for Lionsgate, which saw reports claiming that in-demand leading man Austin Butler was attached to play the new version of Patrick Bateman, and that could have eventually turned into a hiccup. This won’t be the first time the director has pivoted from a studio blockbuster based on existing IP, as he had been attached to tackle a third version of “Scarface” for Universal.
A “Sgt. Rock” movie goes back to the 1980s, where mega-producer Joel Silver and Arnold Schwarzenegger were hatching a plan to adapt the comic book hero while shooting “Predator” (you can see a young Shane Black, who took a supporting role and died early on, reading one of the comics in the end credits sequence). Quentin Tarantino was another filmmaker who attempted to bring the military bruiser to the big screen as he told The Playlist in 2021 that he was once offered a chance to direct a script penned by David Webb Peoples (“Blade Runner”).
Other writers and directors involved at various points were Steven E. de Souza, John Milius, Brian Helgeland, Guy Ritchie, and Francis Lawrence (who is currently developing a “Constantine” sequel with Keanu Reeves returning).
What the future holds for “Sgt. Rock” remains to be seen, and if the folks at DC Studios (James Gunn and Peter Safran) are expected to find a new creative team to take it over.
A report claims that ‘Sgt. Rock’ has lost writer/director Luca Guadagnino and has been subsequently scrapped at the studio. Read More