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It was just last month that we were reporting that Colin Farrell was in talks to play the titular hero of the Luca Guadagnino-directed “Sgt. Rock,” and now The Wrap reports that the film has been canceled.
The report did not have an answer to the question of why DC Studios had chosen to put the film on the chopping block; only that the budget was supposedly not a major issue. “Sgt. Rock had a budget of $70 million, which would be considered small for a big-budget comic book movie.
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The Hollywood Reporter had some more information, including that Farrell had actually been cast in the title role. The outlet also said Mike Faist, who worked with Guadagnino on “Challengers”, had been cast as a member of Sgt. Rock’s Nazi-fighting Easy Company. THR also said a woman had been cast as a French resistance fighter in the film, but did not have a name.
The plot would reportedly revolve around Rock and the French resistance fighter trying to locate the Spear of Destiny – the spear that Jesus Christ was stabbed with and which the Nazis were close to locating.
THR also had some potential reasons for the cancellation. The outlet reports that one inside source said it came down to the film’s scheduling needs. The film was supposed to start principal photography in England this summer. The same source raised the possibility that the situation would be re-assessed at the end of this year for a possible summer shoot in 2026.
This also begs the question of whether or not the filming of “The Batman 2”, also meant to film this year, had something to do with the cancellation. Farrell is expected to reprise his role as the Penguin in the sequel.
Another source brought up the idea that even though $70 million was a small budget compared to other comic book blockbusters, that Guadagnino is unproven when it comes to larger action movies.
Sgt. Rock first appeared in a 1959 issue of DC’s war comic “Our Army at War,” though the hero would eventually prove popular enough for that comic to be renamed “Sgt. Rock.” He would eventually begin interacting with DC’s modern superheroes.
Sgt. Rock has already shown up in the DCU, though he wasn’t being played by Colin Farrell at the time. Maury Sterling voices Sgt. Rock in flashbacks meant to expand on the history of G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn).
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