Daniel Craig and Luca Guadagnino team up for bold take on DC’s Sgt. rock

There are no cherry blossoms hinting at spring’s arrival, the nights grow longer, and the trees on my street stand nearly bare. Yet despite the freezing temperatures marking late November in the UK, it feels more like April Fools’ Day. Why? Reports from Hollywood claim Daniel Craig and Luca Guadagnino are teaming up for—wait for it—a DC Comics adaptation of Sgt. Rock Sgt. Rock . For the uninitiated, Sgt. Rock is a gruff World War II infantryman, worlds apart from the flamboyant queer outlaw Craig portrayed in Guadagnino’s acclaimed Queer . It’s hard to fathom the same creative team tackling both characters, as the tonal gap between them feels like a multiverse apart. Sgt. Rock, created in 1959, is more Captain America’s grumpier uncle than a traditional superhero. He lacks a cape, alien heritage, or tragic backstory. His superpower? Barking “Hold the line!” while shrugging off bullets like mosquito bites. A figure of postwar stoicism, Sgt. Rock and his “Easy Company” epitomized old-school, gum-chewing, no-nonsense heroism. Reports suggest the project is in its infancy, hinting at DC’s evolving strategy. Under James Gunn’s leadership, the studio has steered away from Marvel’s cohesive universe model. Instead, DC seems to embrace a jazz-like improvisational approach, where characters occasionally cross paths like mismatched dates at the multiverse’s quirkiest café. While Sgt. Rock has encountered Superman in comics, such meetings were delightfully bizarre—like a gritty war movie interrupted by a cosmic laser show. If this project materializes, it may fall under DC’s Elseworlds banner, which accommodates standalone narratives outside their main continuity. Guadagnino’s involvement could elevate Sgt. Rock beyond a conventional war story. Known for infusing unexpected depth into his films, he might explore themes like masculinity, sacrifice, and camaraderie under fire. The Rock comics themselves often delivered a more nuanced take on the war genre, akin to how “acid westerns” of the 1960s reimagined cowboy tales with introspection. Craig could bring emotional gravitas to Sgt. Rock, much like he redefined James Bond as a vulnerable antihero. While this project risks collapsing under its own ambition, it also holds potential for groundbreaking cinema. If successful, Sgt. Rock could represent a raw, humanistic take on comic-book storytelling, akin to James Mangold’s Logan . And perhaps, in Guadagnino’s hands, it might even prove that heartfelt vulnerability and stunning visuals can indeed lead a bayonet charge.