Daniel Craig quits DC’s comic book film ‘Sgt Rock’
Daniel Craig will no longer be playing DC hero Sgt Rock, after reportedly dropping out of the planned film.
He was set to make his superhero debut in the film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, who worked with Craig on the drama Queer. It is being developed from a script by screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, who worked on both Queer and last year’s romantic drama Challengers.
The character is the tough leader of Easy Company, a ragtag group of soldiers who execute vital missions during World War Two. The character first appeared in DC Comics in the late ‘50s, while film adaptations with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis have been attempted in the past.
No official reasons for the departure have been given, although a news article by The Hollywood Reporter cites sources who say scheduling issues with his wife, Rachel Weisz, and the lack of awards attention Queer received are said to be among the reasons.
DC had no comment on the report, which also said the production is moving ahead and is considering Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) among others as a replacement.
Released last December in the UK, Queer saw the actor play William Lee, a fictionalized version of author William S. Burroughs, in a story where his character falls for a younger man, played by Drew Starkey. NME’s four-star review described it as “far from James Bond”, saying: “Craig delivers one of his best performances to date as Lee, investing him with a palpable world-weariness and making you feel every moment of hope, desire, ecstasy and crushing disappointment.”
Despite critical acclaim for his performance, Craig missed out at the Oscars and BAFTAs, but received a Golden Globe nomination. The film also performed poorly at the box office, making $4.8million against a reported $50million budget.
Craig will be seen next in Wake Up, Dead Man, the third instalment of the Knives Out trilogy where he returns as detective Benoit Blanc. In December, the actor talked about the pressure of his most famous role, James Bond, saying the attention was “emotionally difficult” for his family.
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Victoria Luxford
NME
