EXCLUSIVE: Steven Soderbergh Taking on 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.'November
Source: THR
Steven Soderbergh is in early talks to take over directing duties on the long-in-development film The Man From U.N.C.L.E. at Warner Bros. Scott Z. Burns, who wrote Soderbergh's The Informant and the director's upcoming medical thriller Contagion, is negotiating to come aboard as writer.
Warners has been working on a big-screen adaptation of the U.N.C.L.E. TV series since the 1990s, most recently with Max Borenstein writing a script as a directing vehicle for David Dobkin.
The Borenstein script was considered strong by Warners, but Dobkin is now moving to the role of producer, along with John Davis, and Burns will write a new script.
U.N.C.L.E. aired on NBC from 1964-68, during a Cold War period that saw numerous spy shows hit the airwaves. James Bond author Ian Fleming was even a creator of the show, which focused on the adventures of American and Russian members of a secret agency called the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.
Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Fred Claus) was expected to aim for the action-comedy wheelhouse for U.N.C.L.E. But with Soderbergh's varied resume, from the light touches of Erin Brockovich and the Ocean's Eleven movies to the more emotionally complex films like Traffic and Solaris, there's no telling which way the project will go.
Soderbergh, repped by Anonymous Content, has Haywire, his first foray into action territory, with Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor and Michael Douglas, in the can for Relativity and is shooting Contagion, a thriller with another all-star cast, this one featuring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Kate Winslett, among others. The director will aim to shoot U.N.C.L.E. at the end of next year.
Burns, repped by UTA and Anonymous, worked on The Bourne Ultimatum and wrote and directed the HBO movie PU-239.
Lynn Harris is overseeing U.N.C.L.E. for Warners.
Tom Cruise Eyeing 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' With Guy Ritchie At Warner Bros
By MIKE FLEMING JR | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros may have finally found its The Man From U.N.C.L.E. I'm hearing that Tom Cruise is in early talks to star in the film that will be directed by Sherlock Holmes helmer Guy Ritchie. The original TV series ran from 1964-68, with Robert Vaughan and David McCallum playing Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, two agents of the United Network Command for Law Enforcement. With gadgets and their wits and charm, they fought the evil forces of Thrush. Warner Bros has long been high on the project, especially when the studio had Steven Soderbergh ready to direct George Clooney in the lead. The actor dropped out because he needed surgery on his neck and back, and he wasn't up for a physical role. After Soderbergh departed, the studio turned the project over to Ritchie and his producing partner Lionel Wigram.
If this happens, it would give Cruise another shot at a franchise. He already has Mission: Impossible, which has another installment being developed by Christopher McQuarrie to direct, and I'm told that he will reprise the Jack Reacher role from Lee Child's books, after the $60 million-budget Jack Reacher grossed more than $215 million worldwide for Paramount and Skydance. Warner Bros began quiet talks with Cruise after he completed All You Need Is Kill with director Doug Liman, which must have turned out pretty strong. Cruise next stars in the Joseph Kosinski-directed Oblivion for Universal Pictures, Cruise's first futuristic sci-fi film since Minority Report. The film bows April 19. He's repped by CAA.
'Lone Ranger' Armie Hammer To Star With Tom Cruise In 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.'
BY MIKE FLEMING JR | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Armie Hammer, who plays the title character opposite Johnny Depp in the Gore Verbinski-directed The Lone Ranger for Disney, is set to star with Tom Cruise in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the remake of the classic TV series that Guy Ritchie will direct for Warner Bros. The original TV series ran from 1964-68, with Robert Vaughan and David McCallum playing Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, two agents of the United Network Command for Law Enforcement. With gadgets and their wits and charm, they fought the evil forces of Thrush.
Warner Bros has long been high on the project, especially when the studio had Steven Soderbergh ready to direct George Clooney in the lead. The actor dropped out because he needed surgery on his neck and back, and he wasn't up for a physical role. After Soderbergh departed, the studio turned the project over to Ritchie and his producing partner Lionel Wigram. John David is also producing. Hammer would play a version of the role originated by McCallum, an NCIS regular who strangely doesn't seemed to have aged since the '60s. Hammer, who's repped by WME and attorney Harris Hartman, is making his bid to be one of those up-and-comer leading men and getting on the ground floor of a franchise with Cruise and Ritchie certainly seems like a smart move from here.
'Man of Steel' Star Henry Cavill Eyes Lead in WB's 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.' (EXCLUSIVE)
Source: Variety
With the news coming out that Tom Cruise had fallen off "Man From U.N.C.L.E," Warner Bros. has acted fast to find his replacement having entered talks with Henry Cavill to star.
He would co-star with Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander with Guy Ritchie helming.
The film is an adaptation of the 1960s TV series which followed two agents of the United Network Command for Law Enforcement as they fought the evil agents of Thrush.
Ritchie will also produce along with producing partner Lionel Wigram. John Davis is also producing.
The interesting part about this casting is that Cavill actually met for the Hammer role when Cruise had already been negotiations for the lead. The studio obviously has a great relationship with him having worked with him on "Man of Steel" and had also been looking at him for a co-starring role opposite Chris Hemsworth in "In the Heart of the Sea."
This is a very positive sign for a film that has been looking long and hard for its leading man going all the way back when George Clooney was attached to star and Steven Soderbergh was attached to direct. After they both left the project, Warners approached several actors to star including Johnny Depp, Channing Tatum, Ben Affleck and Bradley Coooper but in each of the cases they either passed or could not make their dates work.
With Cavill's schedule wide open having not set up his next film, its a good sign that the studio may have finally found their man. Production is set to start this fall.
Cavill can be seen next in "Man From Steel." He is repped by CAA and United Agents.
It's a good time to be a handsome white guy. But then, that's always the case.
When will brown guys like me get to play the big action roles (outside south Asia).