James Gunn once affirmed that DC Studios wouldn't green-light projects until he had a finished script that made him and the studio happy. This mandate has already caused ripple effects for numerous projects, such as the delay of Matt Reeves' sequel to The Batman and the cancellation of one unnamed DCU project. One film that's been through the trenches is Sgt. Rock, which not only lost James Bond star Daniel Craig as the titular sergeant but was also quickly rumored to be canceled shortly after his departure. It became the first casualty in James Gunn's DCU.
Thankfully, bigger outlets snuffed out that rumor and had sources confirming that Sgt. Rock "was not going away," with production only being pushed back a year to Summer 2026. But that didn't stop fans from worrying about its prospects of living to that day. After Gunn announced the cancellation of an unnamed DCU movie, some speculated that it could have been Sgt. Rock on the chopping block, considering the lack of official updates since the abrupt delay in production.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the outlet asked James Gunn about the current state of Sgt. Rock and whether the character would still march into theaters. In news that should assuage fears, Gunn confirmed it's "in a pretty good place" and is still "moving forward." He elaborated that "it wasn't exactly where I wanted it to be creatively" and that "it needs to change a little bit:"
"I feel like we're in a pretty good place. We're still moving forward, but it's not going to be...What would Peter want me to say here? ... So it's still moving forward, but, yeah, right now it wasn't exactly where I wanted it to be creatively, and so it needs to change a little bit."
Considering production was already pushed back to next summer, Gunn and DC Studios have likely accounted for the time needed to make these "little" changes, so it'd be a surprise to see production for Sgt. Rock delayed again.
What Could Be Holding Up Sgt. Rock?
While Daniel Craig did drop out as Franklin John Rock, DC Studios was quick to double-dip and court Colin Farrell. However, there haven't been any updates on whether Farrell has accepted the role yet.
Regardless of who will eventually be starring in this wartime film, the crux of the issue is undoubtedly the screenplay, which hasn't yet met Gunn's high expectations like Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface. It's anyone's guess what has Gunn hesitant to move into pre-production, but it can't be that big since the project would only need to change "a little bit."
It's hardly an issue of connectivity with the rest of the DCU, since Sgt. Rock and his famous infantry unit, Easy Company, already appeared in Creature Commandos alongside GI Robot. However, that might not be enough to excite audiences since not everyone has seen the adult animated series on HBO Max.
The reported plot of Sgt. Rock before production was delayed would have taken a page out from Indiana Jones and revolved around Easy Company working alongside the French Resistance to find the Spear of Destiny, the same spear used to stab Jesus Christ during his cruxifixtion, before the Nazis.
One "little" change to the screenplay could be the MacGuffin that Rock and Easy Company are chasing down. Instead of the Spear of Destiny, it could be an artifact tied more closely to another DC property, such as Themyscira. Perhaps this would tie into the upcoming Paradise Lost series and hook in more of an audience by having a connection to a bigger character like Wonder Woman.
