Tag: Sgt. Rock

Daniel Craig To Play WWII DC Comics Hero 'Sgt. Rock' For Director Luca Guadagnino
Posted on in Film News, News

Daniel Craig To Play WWII DC Comics Hero ‘Sgt. Rock’ For Director Luca Guadagnino

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

Posted on in News

Robert Rodriguez Signs First-Look Deal With HBO & HBO Max: Will He Tackle DC Comics Projects?

WarnerMedia has announced via The Hollywood Reporter that they’ve striked a two year first-look deal with Robert Rodriguez and his Austin-based Troublemaker Studios. He’ll specifically develop various film and television projects for HBO/HBO Max.

The filmmaker had this to say about the deal:

“It’s intriguing to be able to tap into the wealth of iconic IP available across the WarnerMedia portfolio and explore new stories to tell. I’m looking forward to a meaningful collaboration with the high caliber creative talent at HBO and HBO Max who have proven they’re willing to take risks, challenge norms and tell inclusive stories while producing a wide breadth of quality content.”

We previously saw J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot’s deal with WarnerMedia leading to them tackle a wave of DC Comics projects such as Justice League Dark, Constintine, Madame X, and producing a new Superman film.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Rodriguez/Troublemaker Studios attempt to adapt various comic book projects given their experience with existing material. They were behind films such as Predators, Sin City, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, and Alita: Battle Angel. Robert was once approached by Ryan Reynolds and 20th Century Fox to direct the first installment of Deadpool, but declined.

Most recently Robert Rodriguez was working with Lucasfilm on Star Wars shows such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

There are plenty DC Comics projects Rodriguez could end up bringing to life such as various movies that had been gestating at Warner Bros. for ages such as Lobo (Guy Ritchie formerly attached to direct), Sgt. Rock (Quentin Tarantino was offered it), and Deathstroke (The Raid’s Gareth Evans was developing at one point).

Hopefully, this is a sign that James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is giving WarnerMedia the impression they can continue to keep making mature projects based on their IP.

Like Gunn, Rodriguez has a unique style and vision that clearly is imprinted on his inventive/energetic R-rated action projects such as Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Planet Terror, Machete, and Machete Kills. Applying that to the DCEU could only make for exciting and entertaining adaptations.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

Quentin Tarantino Says He Was Offered A ‘Sgt. Rock’ Movie That Had A “Magnificent” Script From ‘Blade Runner’ Screenwriter David Webb Peoples

Warner Bros. has been trying since 1980s to make a feature film based on the WWII era DC Comics hero Sgt. Rock, producer Joel Silver famously tried to get an incarnation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and if you look closely at the end credits of Predator, you can see cast members like Shane Black holding copies of Sgt. Rock.

Well, it sounds like one incarnation almost had a script from screenwriter David Webb Peoples (Blade Runner, Unforgiving, 12 Monkeys, Leviathan, Soldier) and his “magnificent” script almost convinced Quentin Tarantino get involved as he was offered it by the studio. Tarantino briefly mentioned the potential comic book film during a chat on The Big Picture podcast (via The Playlist).

“There’s a really good script that David Webb Peoples wrote for Sgt. Rock that I still think about doing that from time to time. I don’t think I will, but I think it’s a really magnificent script and I would do a good job with,” Tarantino told The Big Picture.

It’s been well established that the director is a huge comic book guy.

Quentin Tarantino has mulled over the idea of making a comic book project over the years, in the 1990s, he wanted to make a Luke Cage movie starring Laurence Fishburne and had been once offered another DC Comics property Green Lantern.

He was previously upfront that Marvel’s Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos was a huge influence on the Oscar-winning film Inglourious Basterds and there were a handful of Marvel Comics homages in Reservoir Dogs.

“A big influence on the Basterds was Marvel Comics’ Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos. That was definitely an influence on that flick,” the filmmaker told MTV News back in 2009.

There seems to be further nods in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood with Rick Dalton’s WWII action film The 14 Fists of McCluskey, as his character wore an eye-patch a possible wink to Nick Fury and there were Sgt. Fury/Kid Colt comics in Cliff Booth’s trailer.

SOURCE: THE BIG PICTURE PODCAST