DC Studios recently announced that Sgt. Rock is no longer in active development, which is surprising given the A-list talent that was attached to it. First, Daniel Craig, then Colin Farrell were attached to play the titular soldier. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino was slated to direct, in what was a major departure from his previous two films, Challengers and Queer. Guadagnino was even slated to reunite with some of his Challengers crew, particularly Justin Kuritzkes, who penned the script.

Sgt. Rock reportedly isn’t fully shelved, as Variety reports that timing led to the film being put on the back burner; production was aiming to start in the summer, but missed the ideal shooting date. Despite Sgt. Rock not making it to the big screen, details from Kurtizkes’ script have been revealed courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.

‘Sgt. Rock’ Involved a World War II Backdrop and a Quest for a Mystical Item

Given that the majority of Sgt. Rock’s adventures take place in World War II, it’s no surprise that the Sgt. Rock film would have been set during that conflict. Here’s where the story takes a turn for the unexpected: not only would the script see Sgt. Rock joining forces with a female soldier from the French Resistance, but he would have also gone on a quest to find the Spear of Destiny before Nazi forces could get their hands on it. The Spear of Destiny, used by Roman soldier Longinus to pierce the side of Christ, often endows its user with mystical powers; it made an appearance in Legends of Tomorrow, where it was revealed to have the power to warp reality itself. On top of that, casting was underway to find the members of Easy Company, Rock’s stalwart group of soldiers. Mike Faist was even being considered for a role, which would have reunited him with Guadagnino and Kuritzkes after playing one of the lead roles in Challengers.

A balance of supernatural and war elements is also in line with some of Sgt. Rock’s comic book history. The Justice Society of America maxiseries by Geoff Johns and Mikel Janin featured an issue where Rock and the Easy Company helped the Justice Society battle the time-traveling tyrant Per Degaton, while Sgt. Rock VS The Army of the Dead by Bruce Campbell and Eduardo Risso pitted Rock and Easy Company against a legion of dead soldiers reanimated by an insane Nazi scientist. In a world with aliens, gods, magic, and other extraordinary elements, searching for a spear from biblical legend is hardly out of the ordinary. It’s also a great reminder that Sgt. Rock is a comic book character because this is the exact kind of premise you’d find in a comic.

Sgt. Rock Has a Connection to Another DC Studios Project

Prior to the announcement of the Sgt. Rock project, Sgt. Rock actually made an appearance in the first official DC Studios project,Creature Commandos. In Creature Commandos’ second episode, “Cheers to the Tin Man,” flashbacks reveal that G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn) joined Sgt. Rock and Easy Company during missions in World War II. While Justin Kuritzkes‘ script for Sgt. Rock probably didn’t include G.I. Robot, Rock’s appearance in Creature Commandos shows that DC Studios co-head James Gunn has an affinity for all corners of the DC Universe. Gunn and Peter Safran even adjusted their initial slate to include Sgt. Rock, based on how well-written Kuritzkes‘ script was. The fact that Sgt. Rock is potentially being reconsidered for a shoot in 2026 speaks to the strength of Kurtizkes‘ script; whether or not Luca Guadagnino continues to be attached to the film, it’ll manage to capture another side of the DC Universe.

This isn’t the first time a Sgt. Rock movie has fallen short of the silver screen. Directors including Guy Ritchie and John McTiernan, had attempted to bring the WWII hero to the silver screen, while actors including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis had been considered to don Rock’s fatigues. Sgt. Rock might not be heading to the big screen yet, but it. In the meantime, DC fans can look forward to James Gunn‘s Supermanthis July, and the second season of Peacemaker releasing sometime in 2025; Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Lanterns are also currently shooting and will be released in 2026 while Clayface is in the works.