Following months of development, DC Studios is apparently calling off its planned Sgt. Rock film, at least for now. According to THR, the film, which has struggled to find a lead to play the eponymous soldier, has been backburnered, with reports suggesting it will either be postponed to a potential shooting 2026 schedule, or potentially canceled outright.
Sgt. Rock would have been helmed by Challengers director Luca Guadanino, with Daniel Craig, who worked with Guadanino on his film Queer, originally on board to star as the army hero who has a history alongside the superheroes of the DC Universe. However, Craig dropped out, leading to a flurry of potential castings, with Colin Farrell the last actor to be attached to the role.
The film was written by Justin Kuritzkes, who wrote Guadanino's films Challengers and Queer, whose script was reportedly considered so strong that it helped fast track the script into the DC Studios slate.
It's unclear exactly why the film has been backburnered, with reports indicating that DC Studios balked at the film's relatively small $70 million budget, perhaps because Guadanino's action chops were in question.
The script reportedly centered on a World War II era plot in which Sgt. Rock teams with a French resistance fighter (likely Mademoiselle Marie, an ally of Rock's from comics) team up to track down the Spear of Destiny, an artifact supposedly used to stab Jesus Christ when he was being crucified.
In DC history, Nazi leadership was obsessed with finding the Spear of Destiny during WWII as a way to counteract the many American superheroes who joined forces as the DC Universe's first superhero team, the Justice Society of America.
The new DC Universe kicked off with Max's Creature Comforts animated streaming series, and continues with Superman, its first film, in July. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other upcoming DC movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.
