Well, the rumors are true and they are quite the shocker. Arthouse “Call Me By Your Name” and “Challengers” director Luca Guadagnino and his “Queer” star Daniel Craig are plotting a reteam. But it’s not another typical Guadagnino film; it’s an adaptation of the DC Comic title, “Sgt. Rock” for James Gunn’s DC Studios. Who’d have thought Guadagnino would have that in him?
Then again, James Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios with Peter Safran, has suggested that he’s been reaching out to filmmakers he admires and asking them if they’d be interested in pitching a take on a DC property. Maybe that’s what happened here?
And shockingly enough, it’s probably going to be Guadagnino’s next film if all goes according to plan, even jumping in the queue before his take on “American Psycho.”
Justin Kuritzkes, who wrote the script for “Queer” and “Challengers,” has also penned this one and apparently that screenplay is in good shape. And if it does happen, well, remember Guadagnino’s speed; he released two movies in 2024, and his next film, “After The Hunt,” with Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield, is already in post-production and likely arriving in 2025.
No deals have been made yet, but since a screenplay exists, this is certainly more than just loose, hopeful talk.
But “Sgt. Rock” is generally far from the norm of DC Comics and is usually more of a ground and gritty war/soldier comic book—but yes, he eventually crosses over with things like zombies and other supernatural elements because, hell, it’s comic books.
Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert created the character Sgt. Franklin John Rock debuted in 1959’s DC comic “Our Army at War,” which introduced him as a WWII soldier who served in the infantry.
Rock generally has no powers in the comics, but is a kick-ass, well-armed, well-skilled fighting machine—”Rambo” on steroids. If “Sgt. Rock” gets made, will it factor into the rest of the Gunn’s DC Universe? Time will tell.
Guadagnino’s “Queer,” starring Daniel Craig—an adaptation of the William Burroughs novel—opens this month, next week, in fact, on November 27, via A24. Clearly, that collaboration was fruitful.
