DC's "Sgt. Rock" Shoots for the Big Screen ...

April 18, 2006

In the wake of director Quentin Tarantino's upcoming WW II adventure INGLORIOUS BASTARDS and a developing re-make of "The Dirty Dozen", comes word that screenwriter John Cox has been hired to write "Sgt. Rock", a big screen adaptation of DC Comics' World War II comic book series, being produced by Joel "Lethal Weapon" Silver for Warner Bros. Pictures.

'Sgt. Frank Rock' was the leader of infantry unit 'Easy Company', debuting in the 1959 issue of "Our Army at War" #81.

Titled "The Rock of Easy Co.", the introduction of the 'Rocky' character was scripted by Bob Haney, drawn by Ross Andru and inked by Mike Esposito.

In the same issue, future 'Rock' artist Joe Kubert did pencils/inks for the story "No Pocket For Easy", also written by Bob Haney.

During the early 1960's, in response to the grimness of DC's line of war titles, including "Enemy Ace", "The Haunted Tank" and "Our Fighting Forces", Marvel Comics, under the leadership of writer Stan Lee created "Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos", as an alternative take on war comics, featuring memorable characters in heroic adventures.

But at DC, artist Joe Kubert dug deeper into the trenches of "Sgt. Rock", becoming the weather-beaten soldier's artistic muse as the popular, gritty title was renamed "Sgt. Rock" in 1977, publishing monthly until 1988.

In 2004, Kubert revisted his hero in a new graphic novel.

"Sgt. Rock" as a film property has been in development at Warners for some time, with various screenplays turned in by writers Brian Helgeland, John "Conan" Milius, David Peoples, Jeffrey Boam and Steven De Souza.