It looks like Daniel Craig won’t be stepping into the role of Sgt. Rock after all. The actor has bowed out of DC’s World War II superhero flick, which was supposed to reunite him with director Luca Guadagnino. The two had previously worked together on A24’s Queer, but now Craig’s departure from Sgt. Rock has left fans wondering about the reasons behind the move. So far, DC Studios has not commented, and the exact details remain unclear.
Sgt. Rock is expected to be Guadagnino’s next project before he dives into his American Psycho reboot for Lionsgate. The script was written by Justin Kuritzkes, who worked alongside Guadagnino on Challengers and Queer.
The character of Sgt. Franklin “Frank” Rock, created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert, first appeared in Our Army at War #83 in 1959. Rock is known for his no-nonsense leadership of Easy Company during World War II, making him one of the most famous war comic book heroes around. Craig would have followed in the footsteps of other big names like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, who’ve taken a swing at the role over the years; Schwarzenegger was attached to play Sgt. Rock in a film produced by Joel Silver, whilst Willis was reportedly in consideration for the role with Guy Ritchie rumored to direct.
Looking ahead, Guadagnino’s next film is After the Hunt, a thriller from Amazon starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield, which is set to hit theaters on October 10.
As for Daniel Craig, he has quite a few exciting projects lined up. In addition to returning as the suave southern sleuth, Detective Benoit Blanc in the upcoming Knives Out sequel, Wake Up Dead Man, which is due later this year, Craig will also star in Two for the Money, a heist thriller from director Justin Lim for Apple Original Films. In this movie, Craig teams up with Charlize Theron as two career thieves, and the film tracks the evolution of their relationship over three major heists. With a thrilling mix of heists and high-stakes mysteries ahead, it’s shaping up to be a year packed with action and intrigue for the actor.
