Colin Farrell Might Join a Very Unexpected DC Movie Directed by Luca Guadagnino

James Gunn burst onto the MCU scene with the Guardians of the Galaxy and brought an air of freshness. Yes, the MCU was still relatively in its infancy, but the superheroes were all par for the course. Iron Man wasn’t a household name in 2008, but by 2014 he already had three solo movies under his armor. Few of the original onscreen Avengers had the notoriety of Spider-Man when they first appeared in the MCU, but after their first battle with Loki, everyone knew their names. The Guardians were a way to break the formula.

All three Guardians films remain standouts in the MCU. They are bastions of creativity, character, and weirdness. Even within the boundaries of a big studio franchise, Gunn retained an individuality some other films lacked. The Dawn of the Dead writer brought that energy to the DCU. It began with his wacky and violent Suicide Squad film and continued with Creature Commandos. While Superman appears more straightforward, Gunn is still letting his freak flag fly while developing other projects.

We’re getting a Clayface movie for the love of Zod. Clayface! The Batman villain once scarred me for life when, during the ’90s animated series, he was force-fed beauty cream that brought on his monstrous form. That messed up a little kid like me who has had to liberally apply lotion to his eczema-ridden skin for as long as he can remember, but I don’t expect that to apply to everyone! Clayface is, as they say, “off the beaten path,” but they got Mike Friggin Flanagan to write the script!

Another less well-known character is Sgt. Rock. Franklin John Rock was a soldier in World War II but like a really good one. That’s pretty much his deal. His powers amount to “good at war stuff.” Writers will occasionally attempt to bring him into modern scenarios, but I prefer the idea that he was killed by the last bullet fired during the war, because he’s also a good dude, and does not need to be subjected to the horrors of a modern United States. Few know Sgt. Rock and yet Daniel Craig was (allegedly) in talks to play him as recently as late 2024.

Craig is no longer in talks for the role, but Challengers director Luca Guadagnino is still planning to direct, which is equally insane (complimentary). That Guadagnino would be interested in the universe at all is exciting; his wanting to tackle a character as obscure as Sgt. Rock ups the ante considerably. But that’s not all! To make the project even wilder is that Colin Farrell is in talks to replace Craig according to Deadline. Bullseye himself!

The casting has yet to be confirmed and apparently, the film would have to work around the actor’s busy schedule. But, if it can be pulled off, the movie could continue to be the most interesting thing Gunn has cooking up (I’m excited for most of it, but I never would have expected a Sgt. Rock movie in Gunn’s DCU before Batman). Will this change Farrell’s plans to reprise the Penguin? That depends on if you think Matt Reeves’ Batman-verse is continuing at all. If you ask Mike Redmond and me then you will hear THE REST OF THIS PARAGRAPH HAS BEEN REMOVED TO AVOID CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND SAVE YOU SEVERAL HOURS OF YOUR TIME.