Penguin actor Colin Farrell could be going from villain to hero as the star of DC's Sgt. Rock movie

Colin Farrell wins Golden Globe for The Penguin
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Colin Farrell received major acclaim from critics and fans alike for his grimly vulnerable portrayal of Oz Cobb in The Penguin, but now he's eyeing the role of a DC hero in director Luca Guadagnino's Sgt. Rock film, according to THR.

The role of Sgt. Rock - a grizzled but heroic World War II soldier whose exploits earn him a place in the history of the DC Universe - was originally reported to be held by Daniel Craig, who collaborated with Guadagnino on his film Queer. But Craig left the running for the role, with a number of different names having come up in relation to potential casting, notably Jeremy Allen White of The Bear.

As for how the film might fit in with Farrell's role as Oz Cobb in Matt Reeve's The Batman universe, it seems that Sgt. Rock will fall under the banner of James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios, which introduced the character briefly in an episode of Creature Commandos around the time of the original reports of the film.

This means that Farrel's roles could easily co-exist with Penguin and Sgt. Rock taking place in totally separate continuities. Whether that might confuse audiences is another question, but the MCU has pulled off actors with multiple roles before, so there's definitely superhero precedent.

DC Studios is banking on audiences being comfortable with those kinds of well-defined lines either way, with the studio's core slate of superhero films that kicks off with Superman in July existing in its own continuity that leaves room for stories told outside those bounds.

Gunn and Safran have previously indicated that Sgt. Rock could film in 2025 if a satisfactory script could be finalized.

While we wait for more updates, check out our guide to the other upcoming DC movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.

George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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