Luca Guadagnino’s ‘After the Hunt’ Has a Small ‘Sgt. Rock’ DCU Easter Egg

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Luca Guadagnino’s new film, *After the Hunt*, is now playing in theaters and includes a mention of a cancelled DC Universe movie. The film, starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Chloë Sevigny, deals with the complexities of cancel culture in the wake of the #MeToo movement. While it initially seemed like a possible awards contender, the film received mixed to negative reviews after premiering at the Venice Film Festival – a significant departure from the positive reception Guadagnino’s earlier 2024 films, *Challengers* and *Queer*, received.

You wouldn’t typically expect to see DC Comics mentioned in a film centered around the Yale philosophy department. However, a poster for the WWII hero Sgt. Rock – specifically the cover of *Sgt. Rock vs. Army of the Dead* – appears briefly when Julia Roberts’ character walks past a comic book store. This creates a timeline problem because that particular comic wasn’t published until 2022, yet the movie, *After the Hunt*, is set in 2019. Beyond the timeline issue, the reference is a poignant reminder of how close fans came to seeing a *Sgt. Rock* movie directed by Luca Guadagnino. This explains why the respected Italian director included the comic and details about the project that ultimately didn’t happen.

Why on Earth Is ‘Sgt. Rock’ Referenced in ‘After the Hunt?’


DC Comics

The poster for *Sgt. Rock* in *After the Hunt* continues a playful trend where directors subtly hint at future comic book movies. Before directing *Batman Begins*, Christopher Nolan included a Batman symbol in his first film, *The Following*. Chloé Zhao, later chosen to direct *Eternals* for Marvel, added an *Eternals* reference to *Nomadland*. The *Sgt. Rock* nod in *After the Hunt* is notable because it points to a canceled film project by Luca Guadagnino. This isn’t the first time this has happened with *Sgt. Rock* either; producer Joel Silver included the comic characters in his 1987 film *Predator* and spent almost ten years trying to make a full-length *Sgt. Rock* movie.

In November 2024, it was confirmed that Luca Guadagnino would direct a film based on Sgt. Rock. This came as a surprise, as Guadagnino is known for different types of films, but it was seen as a potentially exciting choice. Filming for his movie, After the Hunt, wrapped up over six weeks, from July 6th to August 16th, 2024, suggesting he may have been discussing the Sgt. Rock project with DC Studios’ James Gunn and Peter Safran as early as last summer. It’s unknown whether DC Studios offered him the Sgt. Rock role, or if Guadagnino originally proposed the idea. He clearly had Sgt. Rock on his mind, even including a reference to it in his current film.

Interestingly, a poster for Frank Miller’s *Superman: Year One* hangs right next to a Sgt. Rock poster—a detail hinting that the movie’s events are set in 2019. The *Superman: Year One* poster isn’t just a nod to James Gunn’s upcoming *Superman* film; it’s also central to the story, featuring imagery and artwork that includes controversial figures. Examples include a *Dirty Harry* poster with Clint Eastwood, music by Morrissey, and a close-up of Andrew Jackson on a $20 bill.

Throughout the first part of 2025, there was talk that Daniel Craig, Jeremy Allen White, and Colin Farrell were all potential candidates to play Sgt. Rock. Oscar-winner Mikey Madison was also being considered for the role of Mademoiselle Marie, another DC character from World War II who, in early comic books, had a child with Batman’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Director Luca Guadagnino assembled a team familiar from his films *Challengers* and *Queer*, including screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and costume designer Jonathan Anderson. It looked like filming for *Sgt. Rock* was on track to begin in the summer of 2025, with a possible release date as early as May 2026. However, DC Studios cancelled the project on April 30, 2025.

Why ‘Sgt. Rock’ Was Canceled


DC Comics

It’s still not entirely clear why the *Sgt. Rock* movie was cancelled, even though production was progressing well. *Deadline* reported that the cancellation was partly due to the timing – the team was trying to start filming in the UK during winter, which wouldn’t have been practical. It seems a major factor was the script itself. DC co-president James Gunn hinted in a July 2025 *NPR* interview that a film with a talented director and screenwriter (likely Luca Guadagnino and Justin Kuritzkes) was shelved because the story wasn’t quite ready. He didn’t mention *Sgt. Rock* by name, but the details align.

I realized we had to stop working on the movie. We’d gotten the go-ahead, developed it through a couple of drafts, but it just wasn’t improving. It stayed stuck, and I finally decided it wasn’t good enough to make. We all knew it wasn’t working.

During a June 2025 interview with *Entertainment Weekly*, James Gunn clarified the status of the *Sgt. Rock* movie. He confirmed the project hadn’t been canceled and that development was continuing, stating:

We’re making progress, but the project wasn’t quite where I envisioned it creatively. We’re adjusting things to get it on the right track. I was even pausing to consider what my colleague, Peter Safran, would suggest I say about it.

It was announced in July 2025 that Sergeant Rock would proceed without director Luca Guadagnino. He’s now working on a film called *Artificial* about Sam Altman, the creator of OpenAI, and a new version of *American Psycho*. While *Deadline* originally suggested filming for *Sergeant Rock* could start in summer 2026, no new director or lead actor has been chosen. The poster for *Sergeant Rock* featured in the recently released film *After the Hunt* is a reminder of how close we came to seeing a DC Universe movie directed by the filmmaker known for *Call Me By Your Name* and *Challengers*. *After the Hunt* is currently playing in cinemas.

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2025-10-18 02:32