THE PENGUIN Star Colin Farrell In Talks To Play SGT. ROCK For DC Studios And Luca Guadagnino

THE PENGUIN Star Colin Farrell In Talks To Play SGT. ROCK For DC Studios And Luca Guadagnino

Colin Farrell, who plays Oz Cobb in Matt Reeves' The Batman movies and HBO's The Penguin spin-off, is now in talks to play the title role of Sgt. Rock in Luca Guadagnino's movie...

By MarkCassidy - Mar 17, 2025 04:03 PM EST
Filed Under: Sgt. Rock

In a surprising turn of events, Colin Farrell - who plays Oz Cobb/The Penguin in Matt Reeves' BatVerse - is in talks to play the lead role in DC Studios and director Luca Guadagnino's Sgt. Rock movie.

Though Farrell has entered negotiations to play Sgt. Franklin John Rock in the WWII-set film. Deadline believes that scheduling "has to be balanced with his busy fall which includes the second season of AppleTV+’s Sugar and Edward Berger’s movie The Ballad of a Small Player."

Daniel Craig was said to be in talks to play the title role (though DC Studios co-head Peter Safran insists this was not the case), but reportedly passed due to a scheduling conflict and is now circling Greta Gerwig's Narnia movie. There have also been rumors that Mike Faist - who worked with Guadagnino on Challengers - waqs being considered for the part.

Guadagnino is set to re-team with his Challengers and Queer collaborator Justin Kuritzkes, who is penning the script. The project is said to be a "period piece set during World War II."

We've been hearing whispers of a potential Sgt. Rock movie for quite a while, and attempts to get a film based on the character off the ground go all the way back to the late '80s, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was briefly attached to play the lead. Bruce Willis was also said to be in talks to play Rock in a movie helmed by Guy Ritchie back in 2008.

Producer Joel Silver revealed that this take on the properly was going to be set in the future during a 2010 interview with LA Times.

"It [takes place] a little bit in the future. As a war movie, it's not going to be 'where it's been,' it's going to be 'where it's going.' We didn't want to do Iraq, we didn't want to do a contemporary war. We wanted to do a sort of futuristic war. It's pretty strong. Chad St. John wrote the script and we've got Francis Lawrence involved in developing it with us. It's not a 'go' movie yet but I'm feeling good about it."

Sgt. Franklin Rock was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, debuting in the pages of Our Army at War #83 in 1959. Rock was a member of the Easy Company, a unit that fought in the European Theatre during World War II and consisted of a disparate group of individuals who managed to participate in every major action in the European war.

Farrell will return as the villainous Gotham City crime boss Matt Reeves' The Batman sequel, and possibly a second season of The Penguin.

CHALLENGERS Star Mike Faist Rumored To Be In Consideration To Play SGT. ROCK
Related:

CHALLENGERS Star Mike Faist Rumored To Be In Consideration To Play SGT. ROCK

SGT. ROCK Film Loses Daniel Craig; DC Studios Reportedly Eyeing Jeremy Allen White As Potential Replacement
Recommended For You:

SGT. ROCK Film Loses Daniel Craig; DC Studios Reportedly Eyeing Jeremy Allen White As Potential Replacement

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2
rebellion
rebellion - 3/17/2025, 4:19 PM
never change dc.
DaHULK2000
DaHULK2000 - 3/17/2025, 4:49 PM
@rebellion - The Batman 2 is dead..the underperformance of Mickey 17 all but guarantees this.
rebellion
rebellion - 3/17/2025, 4:53 PM
@DaHULK2000 - fascinating deductive skills buddy
DaHULK2000
DaHULK2000 - 3/17/2025, 5:45 PM
Lol,Thank you for telling me what I already know.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/17/2025, 7:32 PM
@rebellion - this is a good thing bud. Hate to break it to you. Great actor.
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 3/17/2025, 8:16 PM
@DaHULK2000 - Did that underperform?? I wasn't expecting much but Mickey was fantastic, honestly kept thinking while watching how it balances its grim tone with the silly aspects of the plot in a way CBMs are sorely lacking these days.
DaHULK2000
DaHULK2000 - 3/17/2025, 8:25 PM
@UncleHarm1 - I can't speak to the films quality..I personally haven't seen it..but I know that Pattisons future as a leading man who can bring in a decent enough crowd was hinging on this films performance.
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 3/17/2025, 8:44 PM
@DaHULK2000 - He played multiple characters in Mickey 17, he's genuinely very good in it. I was won over by his version of Batman, he's the best part of Cosmopolis. But he'll always be Twilight guy to me instead of whatever character he's playing.
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 3/17/2025, 9:53 PM
@DaHULK2000

User Comment Image
Repian
Repian - 3/17/2025, 4:22 PM
I don't know what to think...I could see Keaton as Sgt Rock.
User Comment Image
User Comment Image
RolandD
RolandD - 3/17/2025, 6:51 PM
@Repian - He’s 73 years old. He could play a retired Sgt. Rock, but he does look like him.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/17/2025, 7:32 PM
@Repian - yeah....no.
DarthAlgar
DarthAlgar - 3/17/2025, 8:10 PM
@Repian - I love Keaton, but I have never seen someone bald as slowly as he does. That's not a bad thing.

For some it takes but a few years. For him it's taken over 40.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 3/17/2025, 4:24 PM
Damn , this is surprising though perhaps shouldn’t be shocking since the Reeves-verse and DCU is not canon to each other hence we could always get more actors in the former for the latter…

Honestly , I like this choice better then the rumored ones like Jeremy Allen White or Mike Faist but still not as sold on it as I would have been Daniel Craig but oh well.

Anyway , if he does get cast officially then I would still give it a shot though!!

User Comment Image
Steel86
Steel86 - 3/17/2025, 4:30 PM
@TheVisionary25 - Everything you said is true but also take into account even if the Reeves-verse was canon to the main DCU Colin as Oz doesn't look or sound anything like his normal self. Shot before all the behind the scenes stuff most people didn't know it was him at first.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 3/17/2025, 4:33 PM
@Steel86 - agreed.
narrow290
narrow290 - 3/17/2025, 4:25 PM
YESSSS
Forthas
Forthas - 3/17/2025, 4:26 PM
Given the total transformation he has in Penguin most people would not notice. I don't know much about the character but it does not seem like a great fit to me even though I said the same thing about him as Penguin.

Say YES to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ... say NO to Stupidity, Extremism, and Ignorance (SEI) and Childish Reactionary Tantrums (CRT).
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/17/2025, 7:33 PM
@Forthas - the Penguin isn't DCU so irrelevant.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 3/17/2025, 4:26 PM
I like Farrel, this could be cool!
Steel86
Steel86 - 3/17/2025, 4:32 PM
Would love to see this and hopefully the film is good and does well. He's always been one of those actors that feel like they should've been bigger but some bad movie choices stopped him from getting to that next level. Funny enough He's been in the running for Batman a few times. DC just loves him.
KurtCrawler
KurtCrawler - 3/17/2025, 4:33 PM
The Penguin is such a heavy disguise I even forget Collin is playing him. He pretty much kills every role so this would be great.
WakandaTech
WakandaTech - 3/17/2025, 4:36 PM
So we're getting a Clayface and a Sgt Rock movie before
Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter

MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 3/17/2025, 4:42 PM
@WakandaTech - User Comment Image

and DC/WB wonders why they set themselves up to fail

Cuz everyone who likes DC is asking for a Sgt Rock movie... ive never even heard of the guy until the CC show....
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 3/17/2025, 4:43 PM
@WakandaTech - Yep, and people think Gunn is this genius who's going to save DC on film, never mind most of his projects are C and D list characters no one cares about.
Repian
Repian - 3/17/2025, 4:47 PM
@WakandaTech - But The Question never debuts. Never...
User Comment Image
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/17/2025, 7:33 PM
@WakandaTech - did you just wake up from a coma?
Nolanite
Nolanite - 3/17/2025, 8:30 PM
@WakandaTech - it's too soon for those films to come out.
Flash came out recently, WW84 didn't do as well as many thought, Arrow who knows, and Martian Man hunter isnt around right now or whatever.

But I do wonder how this movie gets the greenlight with no script turned in

Nolanite out
1stDalek
1stDalek - 3/17/2025, 4:41 PM
great pick, hope it works out
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 3/17/2025, 4:43 PM
User Comment Image

why is this moving being fast tracked before the main JL characters.... makes NO SENSE to me
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 3/17/2025, 5:11 PM
@MotherGooseUPus - Honestly, If they just did another version of any of the big ones, I think people would complain that they never get the more obscure characters, just retreads of what we've already seen. I don't have a problem with doing lesser known properties. We know the others will eventually get made.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/17/2025, 7:34 PM
@MotherGooseUPus - because it's got a script.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 3/17/2025, 7:37 PM
@Patient2670 - i see your point and I get it.. but if you're trying to build an audience and get people to watch your movies wouldn't you want to showcase the big guns that people know or have at least heard of? I'm a big DC guy, grew up Loving Barman TAS and JLU and I have 0 interest in seeing this. You think the ga will want to? Cuz i don't .. but who knows
Nolanite
Nolanite - 3/17/2025, 8:31 PM
@McMurdo - incorrect.

The script is not finished or at least not turned in.
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 3/17/2025, 8:53 PM
@MotherGooseUPus - That's valid. BUt we are getting Superman first. I guess what I'm saying is that audiences are fickle. Myself probably included. I'll always look forward to the big guns, but As a lifelong DC guy, I do want to see these others too. Especially because we all already have our favorite versions of Batman and Superman in mind. I think someone like Sgt. Rock could be really good, if they treat the character with the same reverence given to the big guns.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/17/2025, 10:23 PM
@Nolanite - incorrect. It's been finished for some time.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/daniel-craig-drops-out-of-dc-studios-sgt-rock-1236141449/

Reported in all the major trades.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 3/17/2025, 4:49 PM
Hope he gets it.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/17/2025, 7:34 PM
@ModHaterSLADE - would be huge.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 3/17/2025, 8:05 PM
@McMurdo - Yeah, I always knew he was good actor, but after seeing him completely lose himself in the role of Penguin, I wanna see him in more comic related projects.
1 2

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder