Daniel Craig has abandoned the film that was meant to be his DC Comics debut just months before filming was due to begin.
The James Bond actor will no longer be starring in Sgt. Rock, the DC Studios film directed by Luca Guadagnino, who Craig worked with on the film Queer.
The film was meant to reunite much of the team responsible for Queer, with screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes – who also wrote Guadagnino’s Challengers and Queer – attached to the project as well.
Craig has not spoken out about the reasons for quitting the film, though the Hollywood Reporter suggests that scheduling issues with his wife Rachel Weisz may be to blame.
Other sources speculate that Craig had a change of heart about the role after Queer wasn’t the hit he had expected it to be and was largely ignored in awards season.
NME reports that DC had no comment on the news, but that film is still going forward with production.
Jeremy Allen White – known for his starring role in the series The Bear – is reportedly being considered as Craig’s replacement.
The new film is set to depict the story of Sgt. Rock, a World War II soldier who first appeared in DC comics in 1959.
The character is the stalwart commander of Easy Company, a military/superhero unit.
It’s not the first time a film about the beloved comic book character has been considered in Hollywood, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis previously considered to bring the action hero to life.
The movie wouldn’t have been a huge departure for Craig, who played another iconic action star, 007, for an impressive 15 years — the longest run of anyone in the beloved Ian Fleming role.
After saying farewell in 2021 with No Time To Die, the question of who could possibly take over has loomed large in the acting world, with plenty of big names in the running.
But as the debate over who will fill his shoes rages on, Craig is continuing to recover from the role.
The actor revealed in a recent interview that he overworked himself in the early days of his career.
‘Most actors are out of work for large chunks so you take your job offers – but they left me empty,’ he shared with The Times. ‘Then, bottom line, I got paid.’
In the six years between Casino Royale and Skyfall, Daniel appeared in 12 separate projects, not including the three Bond films.
Daniel continued: ‘I was so exhausted at the end of a Bond it would take me six months to recover emotionally. I always had the attitude that life must come first and, when work came first for a while, it strung me out.’
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