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Daniel Craig should never fear only being remembered as James Bond. Very soon, Craig will make a play for the Oscars with the upcoming film Queer, directed by Challengers mastermind Luca Guadagnino. Afterwards, he's returning as everyone's favorite gentleman detective, Benoit Blanc, in a third Knives Out movie and then even beyond that, it appears he may be working his way into another massive film franchise: the DCU.

According to Deadline, Craig and Guadagnino are looking to team up again for Sgt. Rock, a comic book film under the banner of James Gunn's and Peter Safran's DC Studios. The thing is, though, Craig wouldn't be the first star of a major action franchise to get close to the role. Three decades ago, it almost went to none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

From Challengers to Queer to Sgt. Rock

The news of a possible Craig/Guadagnino Sgt. Rock film came November 20, which was, we feel the need to point out, just days after James Gunn confirmed that "more than one" R-Rated DC film was being considered for greenlight. Deadline, who had the exclusive, clarifies that while the movie has not been officially confirmed by DC Studios, it would be have a fast turnaround if and when the thumbs-up arrives. Reportedly, the movie would see Guadagnino back in the director's chair even before his already-confirmed reboot of American Psycho, and will feature a script by Queer and Challengers writer Justin Kuritzkes, which Deadline says is already "in good shape." No schedule for the movie has been revealed, and DC has yet to comment on the news.

The Rock that never was: Arnold Schwarzenegger's failed 1980s attempt

This news is undoubtedly great for fans of DC Comics' classic war comics, but has to be a bit of a downer for The Terminator himself, who once had hopes to adapt the same material. Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger was once poised to play the central character of classic DC war comic Our Army At War, later renamed to Sgt. Rock for its breakout lead. The story was recounted in Nick de Semlyan's The Last Action Heroes, and summarized by JoBlo.com as follows.

Apparently, the sweeping success of 1987's Predator had studios interested in Schwarzenegger reuniting with director John McTiernan and writer Shane Black, with one other name attached as a "must get" for the cast list. That was Monty Python's own John Cleese, who was imagined to play the movie's co-lead. Pretty much everyone was excited about the prospect... except for Cleese himself.

After a meeting with the studio and creatives, Cleese turned the film down. And while, in another time, his envisioned rolemay have simply been recast, his rejection was a huge loss to the creators, who had hopes of utilizing his then-recent A Fish Called Wanda success to promote their project. Shortly after Cleese passed on the movie, the creatives moved onto other ideas, stashing Schwarzenegger's interpretation of Sgt. Rock forever in Hollywood's basement of "what ifs."

Then again, who knows? If Nicolas Cage can appear in The Flash as his Superman that never was, isn't it conceivable that Schwarzenegger could appear in an a multiversal romp for Sargeant Franklin John Rock? He wouldn't have to worry about getting John Cleese's approval these days; that's for sure.

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU.