Twitch reports that Warner Bros. brass is lining up Guy Ritchie to direct the film adaptation of DC’s violent WWII comic Sgt. Rock. Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver are positioning Sgt. Rock as Ritchie’s next project after Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows wraps up. Though nothing has been officially announced, Ritchie is overseeing the current draft of the script.
The Sgt. Rock comic books surround a hardcore infantry officer fighting in WWII. Frank Rock is built like a tank, and he and his company Easy Unit make a bloody swath through Europe during the war. A film adaptation of the comic has been in the works for several years, though earlier attempts have fallen through.
A few years back Ritchie was attached to the Sgt. Rock project, but then was replaced with I am Legend director Francis Lawrence. Apparently, Lawrence wanted to take the project in a different direction than the comic book, setting the hero in a futuristic setting so it wouldn’t feel outdated. Now Ritchie is back on the project and overseeing the script, which will stay true to the comic book as far time period goes.
I think Ritchie’s sometimes-frenetic style could do amazing things with a comic book-to-film adaptation, especially one with as much blood and violence as Sgt. Rock. Warner Bros. choice of Ritchie is a no-brainer, as he’s about to come off the second installment in a very lucrative and popular franchise, Sherlock Holmes. And as superheroes and comic book legends are all the rage right now, it’s no surprise to hear the Sgt. Rock project has been rebooted.
Plus, who doesn’t like to see Nazis being obliterated in various gory and painful ways?
