Colin Farrell has earned widespread acclaim for his villainous role in DC, but his other project in the comic book movie universe remains up in the air. Farrell won a number of awards for his complex and entertaining portrayal of Oz Cobb in The Penguin. The series, a spinoff of The Batman, will also serve as a lead-in to Matt Reeves' long-anticipated The Batman II, with Farrell reprising his role. Unfortunately, Farrell’s Sgt. Rock project doesn’t seem to be happening with DC anytime soon.
When speaking to the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Farrell was asked about the status of Sgt. Rock, and he admitted that he was as curious about its development as the fans, saying, "God, that was a fantastic script. I wonder what's happening with it." Interestingly, James Gunn, co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios, suggested it was the script that led to Sgt. Rock being stalled, though Farrell expresses that it was “really, really good” and that it “should be made.”
Farrell was actually not the first A-list star attached to the project. Sgt. Rock was initially announced as a DC Universe movie with Daniel Craig starring in the lead role, reuniting with Luca Guadagnino after their acclaimed drama Queer, while Challengers screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes penned the script. Farrell confirmed that Guadagnino was no longer involved in the project after Craig left.
Sgt. Rock should still happen in the DCU
Sgt. Rock is not the first project in the DCU that has been stalled in its development. When James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as the shepherds of the new cinematic universe, they announced several exciting projects. While Superman and the upcoming Lanterns series have come to fruition, other planned movies, like Batman: The Brave and the Bold and The Authority, have been slower in coming together - with the latter rumored to have been cancelled.
However, Sgt. Rock is one project that the DC Universe should make a priority. Though not an iconic character like some of the other DC heroes, Sgt. Rock has been around since 1959. Rock is an officer in World War II who led a team of commandos on exciting adventures behind enemy lines. The character has already appeared in the DCU, with a brief cameo in the animated series Creature Commandos.
Having a World War II story within this cinematic universe would be a great way for the DCU to display how it can be a different kind of superhero world. The period piece would help build the reality of the DC Universe in which metahumans have been a part of society for a long time. Though Rock himself is not a superhero, he did contend with various metahumans. Rewriting history to show how these super individuals would impact WWII is a fun idea.
More importantly, it would be a much different movie than the typical comic book movie fare. Gunn, Safran, and the DCU are trying to establish that they can tell all sorts of different stories with different tones and styles. A period war movie would be a perfect way of proving to audiences that they shouldn’t expect costumed heroes and capes in all these projects.
Gunn has expressed that he still wants to move forward with Sgt. Rock, even with Guadagnino no longer involved. As they search for a new filmmaker to helm it, it will also be interesting to see if Farrell remains attached. There was some confusion among fans about Farrell being cast while also playing the prominent role in The Batman, but with Reeves’ movies placed in the Elsewhere section of the DCU, it is still possible.