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.
Yeah, like that’ll happen…
Great idea. Because Cruise was so great in Jack Reacher…
Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher FAR better than his Mission Impossible
series…more adult…more believable. The ONLY reason this did poorly at the box office was it’s lack of PROPER promotion.
It was EVERY bit as good as The Bourne Identity because it took time to DEVELOP THE CHARACTERS and show their human emotions as well as crafting a storyline that wasn’t predictable.
Cruise in Man from U.N.C.L.E. may well DOOM him to never being taken as a serious actor again.
You’ve got a winner in Jack R. Now MILK it…and put Cruise back on the map as someone who can give Mark Wahlburg and Matt Damon a run for the money…before he gets too old.
NOT Tom Cruise!!! I AM an old fan of “The Man from Uncle” nd he does not have what it takes, a far as I am concerned anyway. And nobody can replace David McCallum.
As Napoleon Solo this nigh work.
this version of the script is supposed to be not great…every leading man has already passed…seriously doubt this will come to pass. Heard the Burns/Soderbergh script was great..they(WB) just want this to be a close of Sherlock Holmes.
How can you be the star of Mission Impossible and Man from Uncle? Does that mean that Chris Pine can be the lead in Star Wars Episode 7 ?
Nobody really knows what Boba Fett looks like under that helmet…..
Actually that’s one character that everybody DOES know what he looks like under the helmet.
Uh, yes, we do. They’re called clones for a reason, or have you not been paying attention? He looks exactly like Temuera Morrison, with only superficial differences.
Actually, Bobba Fett proabagly looks a lot like his brother, Greedo.
It’s called acting.
“Thank you!’ (in jon lovitz master thespian voice)
I love Tom Cruise. I’ve enjoyed almost every film the man has made. But can we please get two fresh, younger faces to launch this movie adaptation? If handled correctly, this could be a 007-like franchise for the studio. It shouldn’t merely be another vehicle for one mega-star and it’s way too close to Mission:Impossible in flavor. Sorry Tom, but I can’t see you in this one. It’s redundant.
Shemar Moore from criminal minds
Idris Elba as Solo— Goran Visnic as Kuryakin— Michael Gambon as Mr. Waverly. KEEP the Jerry Goldsmith theme music!!!
Tom Cruise needs to stop ruining films.
Can this guy still open a movie!?!
Maybe Tom Cruise can be the new John Carter when Disney re-boots JOHN CARTER OF MARS.
Why is Tom Cruise desperately only doing these big studio action films ? It would be wiser for him to purse some roles in quality indie films or other smaller character driven films. I loved Cruise’s performances in Jerry Maguire, Collateral, Magnolia, Rain Man, and Born On The Fourth Of July. This guy should at least try to mix it up. His representatives are not giving him the best career advice.
Agreed, great actor when given the right role. Tentpoles are fun, he gets to scale building and stunt drive, but come on Tom– we want to see you ACT again
He was so much better off when Rick Nicita was running things and not Kevin Huvane.
It’s clear that he’s doing all these action pictures while he’s still in good shape, which is not a good reason at all. I completely agree; time to mix it up, Tom!
Actually that’s the one character that everybody DOES know what he looks like under the helmet.
Please for the love of all things Holy….NO! He already ruined Mission Impossible, do we really need another franchise for Cruise to continue to attempt to puff up his fading Hero cred? With more glamorous hero dolly-in shots and ridiculous stunts and horribly written dialogue?
Please…how did he ruin Mission: Impossible?
Get real, JB. “Ruined Mission Impossible?” It’s a hugely successful franchise commercially (undeniable) and creatively (my opinion), and Tom Cruise is the one constant in all four movies. He’s the reason they are successful. Ask Val Kilmer (the Saint) how easy it is to do that.
All the Cruise haters come out again hoping for his demise. These cowards were strangely silent when Cruise was the undisputed King of the box office. The guy’s been a star for 30 years but now all of a sudden you can’t find anyone who ever liked him. Total BS.
I´ve been a fan of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. since I was a child and I do not think Tom Cruise is a good choice to play Robert Vaughn ´s character. Clasic series should not be “recicled” as films, they usually ruined them. That´s why they are Clasics.
Regards,
Can anyone say no to Tom Cruise at this point if he wants to do a project? I don’t think so. They know he’ll make a decent movie and it will make decent, if not better money. It’s lazy but it’s a formula at this point and one I doubt Warner Brothers would turn down. It’s a big snooze but it’s just the way things work…..
Hasn’t Cruise earned enough good will from all these recent tentpoles to go back to real, adult dramas again for a couple of films? He needs his own Jason Reitman film.
The way some of these actors work, you’d think that they were starving on the street or something (it’s almost as if they’re seeking some sort of distraction from real life). I think Tom Cruise is a good actor (though not overwhelmingly so) though I’d wish he’d let someone else star in something every once in awhile.
After all, Jack Reacher looked nothing like Cruise, and it would have been refreshing to see someone that looked–I don’t know–something like the title character.
If he even thinks of playing Lee Child and Douglas Preston’s Agent Pentergast (sure, he looks nothing like the character, and no one that I am aware of is planning a movie of him–yet, but if they could cast him as Reacher, can Pentergast be far behind?) I will rise in righteous anger (I really won’t, though I will not go to see it, either)!
I hate to say it but…………….. Cruise played a VERY Solo like character in “Knight and Day” and…… pulled it off. (No, I’m not talking box office here)
Agreed. Knight and Day flew way under the radar and maybe shouldn’t have.
You guys must have loved The Tourist.
Now, the only thing left to decide is which character does Will Smith play?
Man from Uncle & Ritchie are a good idea, but how about a fresh face. Enough with Cruise , can’t he just retire
Maybe Cruise can do this right before he does I DREAM OF JEANIE. WTF. WB, this is anohter collosoly bad idea.
—-’60′s Show’ cultural incest and franchsie slum
sterility to one side – - -
is this REALLY the time to be resurrecting Globalist
predicitive prgramming from days gone by?
And NOTE, ‘UNCLE’ was there to promote the
unelected, undemocratic, PRIVATE corporate
monopoly globalist USURY banking and
–EXTERMINIST– EUGENICS ‘U.N.’.
DO NOT be taken in.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, Mr. Conspiracy.
Surely there must be someone in the 25 to 35 year old range who would be perfect for this project. Robert Vaughn will be forever tied to this role, he was my hero from a young age, I really don’t think I could accept Tom in this role at all.
Anyone but Tom please!!!
This is cool…in Cruise’s wheel house to say the least. Will make Box with Ritchie doing his thing. Now…for Napolean and Illya:
Cruise and Tim Olyphant
McQuarrie would do the script proud, but then so would Burns.
He’s not the “youthful” face I would prefer to see…but damned if Jon Hamm isn’t dead-on perfect for the role of Napoleon Solo…and if he wasn’t the new face of James Bond, Daniel Craig would be a perfect Illya Kuryakin.
It is so disappointing that “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” is even being considered worthy of remaking, since it was at best a mediocre James Bond rip-off to begin with. Probably every great star or director has a picture or two that is regrettable, but Tom Cruise has had a remarkable career. Why’s he doing this thing? He’s done a dozen or more really good films and some noble attempts at making an important films that didn’t succeed such as “Eyes Wides Shut” and “Valkyrie” but this is really beneath what a he should be doing at this stage of his career. Hey, he did “The Color of Money”, “A Few Good Men”,”Top Gun”, “Jerry Maguire”, “Born on the Fourth of July” and now this piece of cheese from Guy Ritchie! It’s sad.
Actually, if you read the minutiae of how the tv series was originally put together, Napoleon Solo was the name of a character from one of the original Ian Fleming books. Sam Rolfe, I believe (and it’s been forever since I read this) had to clear the usage of the name with Ian Fleming. This may not count as a James Bond ripoff, as you would call it… Rather how NBC (back when they actually let creative people out of the dungeon) was able to have their spy and a tie to Bond as well.
Oh. God. No.
Ritchie – no thank you.
Cruise – only if he plays against type and takes the role of Illya Kuryakin.
Sounds like it has potential, but I’ll wager that “THRUSH” is the first thing to be jettisoned!