Daniel Craig Out As Star Of Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Sgt. Rock’

Daniel Craig has exited DC’s World War II themed superhero movie Sgt. Rock.

The film would have marked a re-team of director Luca Guadagnino, writer Justin Kuritzkes and star Daniel Craig who all worked on 2024’s Queer.

Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert in 1959, Sgt. Franklin “Frank” Rock was first introduced in issue #83 of Our Army at War. Within the comics the character rose through the ranks of the army to become leader of the Easy Company. There have been a number of attempts to adapt the character over the years. With everyone from Bruce Willis to Arnold Schwarzenegger being attached to various projects.

While the news has been confirmed with sources by Deadline the reasons for departure are unclear at this time. Reps for DC were unable to be reached for comment. However The Hollywood Reporter speculates

“Some said the actor’s schedule ran into roadblocks with that of his wife, actress Rachel Weisz.  Other sources said that the actor soured on the role after Queer failed to perform not only at the box office but also in the awards season race.”

Meanwhile Variety  reports “a source with knowledge of the project notes that the actor never formally committed to making it”.

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DC is reportedly hoping to shoot the film this summer in the UK so is already on the lookout for a new lead. The Hollywood Reporter indicates Jeremy Allen White (The Bear, The Iron Claw) is one of the names currently making the rounds.

Luca Guadagnino’s next feature After the Hunt starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield will be out in October of this year. Alongside Sgt Rock, he is also in talks for an American Psycho remake.

Craig will next appear in the third instalment of Netflix’s Knives Out series Wake Up Dead Man, out later this year.