‘The Penguin’ Star Colin Farrell Really Liked The Script For ‘Sgt. Rock’ And Wanted To Make The Film
It is believed Sgt. Rock was canceled because of script issues, but most who say that are taking James Gunn’s word, which is known for being inconsistent, at face value. The reality may be that the project’s problems are a matter of perspective.
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The Batman actor Colin Farrell is contradicting Gunn by speaking up for Sgt. Rock’s script. Farrell praised it in a recent sitdown with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he shared his excitement about the production leading up to the limbo that even he is in the dark about.
“God, that was a fantastic script. I wonder what’s happening with it,” he revealed. Sgt. Rock was written by Challengers screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes and was going to be directed by his frequent collaborator Luca Guadagnino (Suspiria, Call Me By Your Name). Farrell had encouraging conversations with the latter before DC Studios decided to pull the plug.
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“I know nothing about it, brother. I was going to do it with Luca. We spoke about it a couple of times and had some really nice chats. I have no idea where it is now, but it should be made. It’s really, really good. There’s some wonderful stuff in it,” Farrell explained via Geek Tyrant.
Reportedly set during World War II and featuring Sarge’s forces in Easy Company, most synopses shared by the trades say much the same thing. The story would’ve followed an Indiana Jones or Mummy template with Rock and Company going on a mission to retrieve an artifact, treasure, or magical MacGuffin.
That sounds an awful lot like the plot of Wonder Woman 1984 and Black Adam, as well as the rest of the last phase of DCEU movies. Gunn may have considered the similarities, not wanting to go back to that disastrous repetitive formula, but it might also be the case that the script simply didn’t meet his standards.
Not too long ago, there were rumblings that Gunn wants one unifying vision for the DCU that fits his polarizing, one-note sensibilities. Allegedly, his demands are so intransigent that he is driving filmmakers to work on other things. This is possibly why James Mangold signed a huge deal with Paramount and put Swamp Thing on the back burner.
Luca Guadagnino moved on to other things too, rather abruptly, without addressing his status with Sgt. Rock, which he may have given up on entirely. Shooting was taken off the schedule and put on hold indefinitely, so DC Studios probably has as well.
NEXT: James Gunn Seemingly Confirms DC Studios Canceled ‘Sgt. Rock’ Because The Script Was No Good
