Despite losing its Oscar-nominated director and high-profile cast, Sgt. Rock is still marching forward — at least, according to DC Studios co-head James Gunn. In a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused, Gunn confirmed that the WWII-set superhero project is “still moving forward,” but without Luca Guadagnino, who quietly exited the film earlier this year. “I’m still hugely excited by it,” Gunn said, while noting that the film isn’t quite where he wants it to be creatively. His comments align with what he previously told Entertainment Weekly: the project isn’t cancelled, just delayed — and likely due for a creative overhaul.

Originally greenlit with Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name, Bones and All) attached to direct and frequent collaborator Justin Kuritzkes writing the script, Sgt. Rock was once a dark horse prestige contender in DC’s developing slate. The team assembled was stacked: Colin Farrell was reportedly onboard to play the title role after Daniel Craig dropped out earlier this year. Behind the camera, acclaimed cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Suspiria), composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and designer Jonathan Anderson were all lined up. Filming was supposed to begin this month — but instead, Guadagnino is heading to Italy to begin production on a new film called Artificial starring Andrew Garfield.

What Happened to Sgt. Rock?

While Gunn never names Sgt. Rock directly, a revealing interview with NPR last week suggests the script simply wasn’t working — despite having talent attached.

“We had a screenplay that – you know, a movie that was greenlit. We got second draft and third draft, and it just wasn’t changing. It wasn’t getting better. It was staying in the same place. And I said, we can’t make this film. We can’t. It’s not good. Just because we have a good director attached and a good screenwriter, it doesn’t mean the script is working. Everyone is going to be upset at the end of this – it’s going to come out, the movie’s not going to be good. Director’s going to look bad, screenwriter’s going to look bad and we’re going to look bad. So I don’t want to have this. We’re not going to make the movie. And so we killed it.”

Though Gunn doesn’t confirm whether the “killed” project is Sgt. Rock, the timing and details strongly suggest it is. While Guadagnino’s departure may be the end of this version of Sgt. Rock, the concept itself isn’t entirely shelved. Gunn and co-head Peter Safran still seem to see value in the character, even if the execution needs a rethink. So no, Sgt. Rock isn’t dead. But it’s not quite alive either.

via Collider