DC Studios cancelled its first superhero movie after the new comic book universe was mapped out in late 2022. Thus far, co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have run a tight ship in their tenure at the head of the DCU, with no major films having fallen off the wagon in nearly three years.
According to a new report from The Wrap, Warner Bros. and DC Studios cancelled their Sgt. Rock movie from Challengers and Queer filmmaker Luca Guadagnino. This is a significant mark in DC Studios' history as it becomes the first time the new DC regime has outright cancelled a big-screen project.
Sgt. Rock was first reported to be in the works in late 2024, with former James Bond actor Daniel Craig supposedly set to play the movie's titular superhero role. Craig left the project in February, and it was said then that Penguin actor Colin Farrell would step up to replace the 57-year-old and lead the movie.
Sgt. Rock was being developed by Luca Guadagnino and his longtime collaborator Justin Kuritzkes. The film was reportedly eyeing a 2026 production start and sporting a lean $65-$70 million budget. It would have followed the super-powered World War II soldier known for his impeccable and superhuman strength.
The DC Comics adaptation looked to be one of the most imminent titles at DC Studios, picking up momentum quickly after its first reporting. That, however, has seemingly come to a screeching halt with the movie's full-on cancellation.
The wartime DC action film joins several other big-name DC projects to ultimately get the boot.
Recent Major DC Movie & TV Cancellations Fans Are Still Hurting Over
Black Adam 2
Leading into the release of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Black Adam, much was made about the character's DC future. This resulted in reports that a Black Adam 2 was being fast-tracked into development, hoping it would feature a battle between Johnson's Teth Adam and Henry Cavill's Superman.
However, that did not come to pass. Weeks after Black Adam's release, the entire DC movie landscape was changed, as James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired to head up the brand's on-screen efforts.
As Gunn and Safran were brought in, the plans for Black Adam 2 (and its reported spin-offs) were scrapped in favor of a fresh slate.
Batgirl
One of the most infamous cancellations in DC history was the 2022 Batgirl fandango. The Leslie Grace-led streaming film was filmed in its entirety with Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah at the helm and was supposedly set for an HBO Max release later in 2022.
In a shocking turn of fate, though, Warner Bros. cancelled Batgirl in August 2022.
The act was said to be a cost-cutting measure. The studio justified the cancellation by citing that it was writing the film down as a tax break during the complicated Warner Bros. Discovery merger that was happening at the time.
Zatanna
Zatanna existed only in reports and rumors, and Warner Bros. or DC never formally announced the project.
The Zatanna movie would have focused on the magic-wielding Zatanna, one of the most well-regarded supernatural superheroes in the DC canon.
Saltburn's Emerald Fennell was reportedly tapped to write the project in August 2022, but just over a year later, in December 2023, it was confirmed that Zatanna was no longer in the works.
Nightwing
After years of Batman getting much of the big-screen spotlight, in 2017, it was revealed that the world of the DCEU's Dark Knight would expand with the development of a solo Nightwing movie.
The film was set to be directed by Renfield filmmaker Chris McKay and would have focused exclusively on the Batman-adjacent hero.
Various actors, including Zac Efron, Dylan O'Brien, and Timothée Chalamet, were rumored to lead the project, but no one was ever locked down for the titular role. In August 2023, Nightwing was confirmed dead, with no specific reason for the cancellation.
Henry Cavill's Superman Sequel
Henry Cavill's appearance in the Black Adam post-credits scene was supposed to start a new era for the Superman star. However, as fans know, Cavill's Man of Steel was left behind in James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC brand takeover.
After returning to the Superman role for his Black Adam cameo, word began to swirl about Henry Cavill's Superman sequel. This would have seen the actor get the Man of Steel follow-up that never came to be after his 2013 debut as the character.
That sequel fell apart, though, as Gunn and Safran took the seat at the head of the DC Studios table and abandoned Cavill's version of the iconic superhero for a completely new one in a rebooted DC universe (read more about the cancelled Man of Steel sequel here).
Various DC TV Projects
Recent big-name cancellations on the TV side of the blue brand include Superman & Lois, Gotham Knights, Pennyworth, Titans, and Doom Patrol—all of which (except for Gotham Knights) aired at least one season before being shelved.
Most were given the axe due to poor reviews, dwindling viewership, or the changing of hands at the top of DC Studios, which resulted in a reset for most of the brand's TV-based projects.
