Daniel Craig may not be James Bond anymore but he could be getting back to those heroic ways. The Knives Out star is said to be in talks to reunite with director Luca Guadagnino to make a film for DC Studios, Sgt. Rock.
Sgt. Rock, a highly skilled ex-soldier, has been a part of DC Comics since the 1950s. He’s just kind of a badass and not superheroic, which is why this both makes sense and doesn’t. You understand Craig and Guadagnino wanting to make a movie like that. DC, however, is currently co-run by James Gunn and Peter Safran, whose aim has been much more on the fantastical side of the comic book brand. Who is going to say no to James Bond and the man behind Challengers and Call Me By Your Name making a movie for you, though?
According to Deadline, which broke the story, no deals have been put in place yet, so this still isn’t 100% happening. However, if it does, it could be the next film Craig and Guadagnino make. The director was recently announced to be making a new adaptation of American Psycho but this screenplay, written by Justin Kuritzkes, is further along. Kuritzkes also wrote Challengers for Guadagnino and this month’s Queer, which Guadagnino directed and Craig stars in.
And while Sgt. Rock is one of DC’s more realistic characters, there are several ways he could potentially fit into the new DC Studios. The movie could just end up being Elseworlds, a brand the studio has lifted from the comics as a way to develop films that are not part of the larger universe–like how Matt Reeves’ Batman film and Penguin TV series occupy their own distinct space away from other DCU projects. Or maybe this is just a grounded way to bring a character like Rock into the DCU–although Rock was initially developed as strictly a war stories anthology comics hero, he’s appeared alongside DC superheroes several times in his long publication history. At one point he was even part of Lex Luthor’s presidential administration! So maybe this becomes just a cool, tangential spinoff from that character, who’ll be played by Nicholas Hoult in the upcoming Superman reboot. Rock’s also managed the Suicide Squad so, maybe, that gets wrapped in there.
io9 reached out to DC for comment or clarification and will update this post if or when we hear. Either way, Craig and Guadagnino are incredible and that they may make a DC movie is wild, but awesome, news. Let us know what you think below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.