Daniel Craig seems prone to superhero movie casting confusion, as recent developments surrounding his involvement with the DCU almost perfectly mirror a 17-year-old MCU casting rumor. Casting confirmations have started to roll out in earnest as the franchise gears up for the release of the DCU’s first live-action movie, Superman, on July 11. With the franchise still in its infancy, a litany of characters confirmed to be starring in the DCU have yet to be cast, from high-profile figures like Batman to lesser-known DC characters like Sgt. Rock.
This has, unsurprisingly, led to a flurry of rumors and fan-casts for the DCU. I’m glad to see that DC Studios isn’t averse to leaning into these fan-casts, either, as the recent confirmation of Jason Momoa being cast as Lobo demonstrates. Still, DCU co-CEO James Gunn has his work cut out when it comes to keeping casting rumors from spiraling out of control as some leads latch onto the conversation and spark false claims about which actors are attached to what project. Daniel Craig is a recent example of this, and it’s an experience he’s all too familiar with.
Daniel Craig Had To Debunk Rumors He Turned Down The Role Of The MCU’s Thor
Reports Began Circulating In 2008
The MCU was in its infancy 17 years ago, in 2008, when Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk launched the gargantuan cinematic franchise we all now know and love. This was three years before Thor would make his self-тιтled debut in 2011, meaning Thor was still in early development around this time. Before Chris Hemsworth was cast in the role in 2009, it was reported that James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, turned it down. This was for good reason, as Daniel Craig himself stated as much in an interview with IESB.net.
Daniel Craig was also rumored to be portraying Thor’s unseen brother, Balder, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Craig initially stated that he thought it would be too much of a “power trip” to embody both James Bond and Thor on the big screen concurrently. Later, however, Craig clarified in an interview with Cinemablend that he was joking, stating, “I have no idea about Thor. I just was having a joke!“ While I can’t blame anyone for believing that Craig was in line to portray Thor, given Craig himself seemingly confirmed as much, it’s amusing to see that he has found himself in a similar situation 17 years later in the early days of the MCU’s rival franchise.
Daniel Craig’s DCU Version Of The Thor Casting Rumor Has Been Debunked In 2025
Daniel Craig Was Reported To Be Portraying The DCU’s Sgt. Rock
In November 2024, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline reported that Daniel Craig was in talks to portray Sgt. Rock in an upcoming DCU movie spotlighting the lesser-known character. Luca Guadagnino being attached as director gave credence to this report as the two recently collaborated on Queer. This was the presumed state of affairs until February 2025, when DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran divulged at a press event that this was not the case and that they approached the rumor like they do most other casting rumors: by not addressing it at all. This is what they had to say:
Peter Safran: Yeah, Daniel Craig was never in, Daniel and Luca have a really close relationship. They were out promoting Queer together and he obviously – they spoke about it, but we never met… So he was never in, but we just never comment on casting rumors, so we just left it alone.
James Gunn: Yeah, I mean, it’s interesting to see the way these things happen online because certain things are thought of as reality and other things are thought of as reality, but it was never like Daniel Craig was Sergeant Rock.
Why this rumor took hold remains unclear. Regardless, while it doesn’t look like Daniel Craig was responsible for the misinformation this time, I find it quite amusing that this is the second time that Daniel Craig has been inaccurately attached to a superhero in the early days of a cinematic franchise. Craig hasn’t spoken about the misconception, perhaps finding his own amusement in the parallels 17 years later, but I certainly hope this doesn’t mean he won’t be involved in the DCU at all. After all, it would make sense to recruit the James Bond actor.
Why Daniel Craig’s Casting Rumors Make Sense, Even If They Were Both Debunked
Daniel Craig Brings A Lot To The Table
The most obvious reason to bring Daniel Craig into the new cinematic franchise is his star power. At this early stage, having big names like Jason Momoa (Lobo) and Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor) will work wonders for the DCU as it attempts to appeal to a broader audience. This is especially true for a character like Sgt. Rock, whose obscurity would have been counterbalanced by such a big name, similar to how Robert Downey Jr. catapulted Iron Man into superstardom from a position of obscurity relative to Marvel characters like Spider-Man and Hulk.
Furthermore, I genuinely think Craig would have been a solid choice for both characters.
Furthermore, I genuinely think Craig would have been a solid choice for both characters. Both are overtly masculine characters with compᴀssionate undercurrents, so I don’t think it’s hard to draw parallels with the actor who has portrayed the most recent rendition of James Bond. It also looks as if Craig would be on board with portraying a superhero on the big screen, stating in an interview Comicbook’s Phase Zero podcast, “I should be so lucky” when asked about possibly joining the MCU. I sincerely hope, therefore, that the DCU capitalizes on this enthusiasm, even if it isn’t with Sgt. Rock.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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Sources: Cinemablend/ᴅᴇᴀᴅline/Comicbook
