Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios are looking to do a complete overhaul with a new version of the DC Universe, starting next summer with James Gunn’s “Superman” reboot. Gunn, as the studio’s co-head, has been assembling some fantastic filmmakers to handle subsequent DCU feature film projects, such as James Mangold (“Logan”) tackling a new take on “Swamp Thing,” and director Craig Gillespie (“Cruella”) overseeing the latest incarnation of “Supergirl.” Another high-profile film has been announced with a long-gestating character Warner Bros. has been trying to put on the big screen for nearly 40 years.

Deadline is confirming a previous report from Nexus Point that director Luca Guadangino (“Queer,” “Challengers”) would be tackling DC Comics’ character “Sgt. Rock” with screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes (“Queer,” “Challengers”) handling script duties.

Not only that, but Deadline adds that former James Bond actor Daniel Craig is set to play Rock. Craig and Guadangino previously worked together on the drama, “Queer.” Craig certainly has the action chops to do this sort of role. Even if he comes off a little long-in-the-tooth to be starting up new franchise roles. Then again, he almost played Balder The Brave in “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness” and would have been on other studios’ radar for superhero roles.

Rock isn’t as well-known as members of the “Justice Leauge” but is a military hero who mostly does his fighting during World War II and has dabbled within the action-horror genre clashing with monsters, not unlike genre-splicing WWII-set properties such as “Wolfenstein” and “Overlord.” He’s also a character that could fit nicely alongside other misfit DC characters like Gunn’s “Peacemaker” and “The Creature Commandos.”

There has been a long history of Hollywood trying to get a “Sgt. Rock” movie as mega-producer Joel Silver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, around the era of “Predator,” tried to make a feature film coaxing Shane Black and Steven E. de Souza to pen scripts. Even Quentin Tarantino (“Inglorious Basterds”) was considered as he recently mused about a script written by David Webb Peoples (“Blade Runner”), and Guy Ritchie (“Snatch”) was another director further down the line who nearly got the gig (around the time he was also trying to make a “Lobo” movie at Warners).

We’ll just have to be a bit patient to learn anything more about “Sgt. Rock” and when we could expect a release.

SOURCE: NEXUS POINT & DEADLINE