Penguin Star Colin Farrell Urges DC to Revive Canceled Sgt Rock Movie, Calling the Script Fantastic
Before prowling Gotham as the Penguin, Colin Farrell nearly joined a different DC blockbuster — and he’s finally revealing the one that got away.
Colin Farrell almost suited up for a very different corner of DC. Not another Gotham creep, but a WWII grunt with a legend: Sgt. Rock. The movie stalled out, but Farrell just said he still wants it made because, apparently, the script is killer.
Yes, this is the same Farrell whose award-winning Penguin turn in Matt Reeves' The Batman made Oz Cobb a whole vibe, and who also leads the spin-off show. But he was also circling a second DC role before the project hit limbo.
The WWII DC movie that almost happened
Here is the short version of a project that sounds like it should not have died on the vine:
- It was set to be directed by Luca Guadagnino (yep, the Challengers filmmaker) and staged during WWII, with the plan to weave bits of DC Universe history into the period setting.
- Daniel Craig was the first name attached to star.
- Farrell later entered talks to play Sgt. Rock himself.
- Then it went quiet and, as of now, appears to be on pause.
- Farrell brought it up on the HappySadConfused podcast and made it clear he still wants it to happen.
Farrell on the script
'God, that was a fantastic script. I wonder what's happening with it. I know nothing about it, brother. I was gonna do it with Luca, and we spoke a couple of times, had some really nice chats, but I have no idea where it is now. But it should be made. It's really, really good. There's some wonderful stuff in it.'
That is a lot of enthusiasm for something he is not even sure is alive anymore. Classic mid-development whiplash.
Where Sgt. Rock fits in DC
Rock is not some random deep cut. In the comics, he is the tough-as-nails leader of Easy Company, the kind of battlefield legend who survives impossible odds. Over the years, he has overlapped more and more with the main superhero side of DC, which is why a WWII movie with DC lore baked in actually tracks.
On screen, he has already popped up: there is a flashback episode of Creature Commandos that folds him into the origin of GI Robot, the Nazi-smashing war machine. So the character is still in the conversation, even if the big movie is stuck.
So, is the movie happening?
No movement that Farrell knows of. If anything changes, he is clearly ready to rally for it. Until then, he is busy being Gotham's most opportunistic bird: The Batman 2 is on the calendar for October 1, 2027, with Farrell back as the Penguin.