The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (D: Ritchie; S: Cavill, Hammer, Grant)
11-16-10, 06:55 PM
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The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (D: Ritchie; S: Cavill, Hammer, Grant)
EXCLUSIVE: Steven Soderbergh Taking on 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.'
7:17 PM 11/16/2010 by Borys Kit
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.
7:17 PM 11/16/2010 by Borys Kit
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.
11-16-10, 07:40 PM
#2
Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
Why not Clooney as Napoleon Solo? And I'm sure there's some new young Russian or Euro actor with experience in Hollywood who's got long blond hair who'd be a natural for Ilya Kuryakin. Or make him Latino, I don't care. But if the character's going to be Solo, I insist that Clooney's the only one who can play him.
OR, cast Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as Solo and Kuryakin in cameos as mentors to a new team. They're both still around and, I believe, in good health. And throw in Stephanie Powers in a cameo as "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.," a role she played back then.
I don't mind a project like this, as long as they use Jerry Goldsmith's original brass-laden theme, which sure turned me on as a kid. This was my favorite TV show in 6th and 7th grade. Then our TV broke and wasn't fixed until after "U.N.C.L.E." had gone off the air.
OR, cast Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as Solo and Kuryakin in cameos as mentors to a new team. They're both still around and, I believe, in good health. And throw in Stephanie Powers in a cameo as "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.," a role she played back then.
I don't mind a project like this, as long as they use Jerry Goldsmith's original brass-laden theme, which sure turned me on as a kid. This was my favorite TV show in 6th and 7th grade. Then our TV broke and wasn't fixed until after "U.N.C.L.E." had gone off the air.
11-16-10, 07:54 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
Since he did such a great job with the first Ocean's remake (and, IMO, the third), I'll probably go see this. Reminds me that I still need to watch my Che blu-ray, though...
10-21-11, 11:55 AM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
Bradley Cooper may cry 'U.N.C.L.E.'
'Hangover' thesp offered the Napoleon Solo role his CAA team fought for
By Jeff Sneider
EXCLUSIVE: After a whirlwind casting search that has seen Matt Damon and Johnny Depp pass on the lead role vacated by George Clooney, Bradley Cooper has emerged as Steven Soderbergh's choice to star in Warner Bros.' spy pic "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."
Cooper currently has an offer to play Napoleon Solo, and the opportunity to work with Soderbergh is one that Cooper is likely to accept, considering how hard his team at CAA worked to position him for the coveted part.
Once he wraps "The Silver Linings Playbook" for director David O. Russell and The Weinstein Company, Cooper will segue into Alex Proyas' "Paradise Lost" for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. He's expected to wrap that big-budget epic by March, at which time he'd move directly to "U.N.C.L.E.," which Soderbergh intends to direct before helming a Liberace biopic for HBO.
Cooper is a fixture on the Warner Bros. lot, having starred in the studio's blockbuster "Hangover" franchise. He recently wrapped a pair of indies, "The Words" and "The Place Beyond the Pines." Cooper, who plays Lucifer in "Paradise Lost" opposite Benjamin Walker, helped power Relativity Media's "Limitless" to a $156 million worldwide gross.
'Hangover' thesp offered the Napoleon Solo role his CAA team fought for
By Jeff Sneider
EXCLUSIVE: After a whirlwind casting search that has seen Matt Damon and Johnny Depp pass on the lead role vacated by George Clooney, Bradley Cooper has emerged as Steven Soderbergh's choice to star in Warner Bros.' spy pic "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."
Cooper currently has an offer to play Napoleon Solo, and the opportunity to work with Soderbergh is one that Cooper is likely to accept, considering how hard his team at CAA worked to position him for the coveted part.
Once he wraps "The Silver Linings Playbook" for director David O. Russell and The Weinstein Company, Cooper will segue into Alex Proyas' "Paradise Lost" for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. He's expected to wrap that big-budget epic by March, at which time he'd move directly to "U.N.C.L.E.," which Soderbergh intends to direct before helming a Liberace biopic for HBO.
Cooper is a fixture on the Warner Bros. lot, having starred in the studio's blockbuster "Hangover" franchise. He recently wrapped a pair of indies, "The Words" and "The Place Beyond the Pines." Cooper, who plays Lucifer in "Paradise Lost" opposite Benjamin Walker, helped power Relativity Media's "Limitless" to a $156 million worldwide gross.
10-22-11, 03:43 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
^ Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I like Cooper, but I just don't think he's right for the role. His background is too comedic, too little serious. But who knows, maybe Paradise Lost will change my mind.
I like Cooper, but I just don't think he's right for the role. His background is too comedic, too little serious. But who knows, maybe Paradise Lost will change my mind.
10-22-11, 04:24 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
I can't wait for Bradley Cooper to be over. He's not funny nor is he a good actor.
11-23-11, 04:30 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
Warner Bros. still wants to make "U.N.C.L.E."
ReutersBy Joshua L. Weinstein | Reuters – 25 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Despite Steven Soderbergh's exit as director of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." last week, Warner Bros. still remains committed to developing it.
"This is a movie the studio was trying to make before Soderbergh was involved," an individual close to "U.N.C.L.E." told TheWrap. "If he is truly off, it's hard to believe the studio won't want to make it with someone else."
Indeed, Warner's has wanted to adapt the '60s television show as a movie for nearly 20 years. Over the years, Quentin Tarantino, Matthew Vaughn ("X-Men: First Class") and David Dobkin ("Wedding Crashers") have been tied to the film -- and Dobkin remains on board as a producer.
The studio "doesn't think there's millions and millions of rabid 'U.N.C.L.E' fans out there, but they do recognize that the brand has some mythology to it," the individual said. "It's a major franchise they have wanted for over a decade now and a script they're very happy with."
For a short time, the espionage thriller set in the 1960s seemed to be moving at a quick clip. Soderbergh, who has delivered Warner Bros. hits including "Ocean's Eleven," "Ocean's Twelve," "Ocean's Thirteen" and "Contagion," brought a new level of excitement to the movie. There was talk that "Oceans" actor George Clooney -- who also worked with Soderbergh on the 1998 "Out of Sight," the 2002 "Solaris" and the 2006 "The Good German" -- would play the lead role of Napoleon Solo.
But then Clooney decided against it.
The studio acknowledged this fall that it wanted Bradley Cooper to take the part, but talks with the actor fizzled.
An individual close to the studio said that Warner's and Soderbergh couldn't agree on some casting issues and were at odds over budget.
The individual said that the studio continues to look for another director to take on the project -- and noted that despite the buzz, "U.N.C.L.E." hadn't yet been greenlit.
That individual compared "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." to "Akira," another Warner's project that has gone through a succession of directors and writers. Before Jaume Collet-Serra became attached this past July, Ruairi Robinson and Albert Hughes were attached to direct.
ReutersBy Joshua L. Weinstein | Reuters – 25 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Despite Steven Soderbergh's exit as director of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." last week, Warner Bros. still remains committed to developing it.
"This is a movie the studio was trying to make before Soderbergh was involved," an individual close to "U.N.C.L.E." told TheWrap. "If he is truly off, it's hard to believe the studio won't want to make it with someone else."
Indeed, Warner's has wanted to adapt the '60s television show as a movie for nearly 20 years. Over the years, Quentin Tarantino, Matthew Vaughn ("X-Men: First Class") and David Dobkin ("Wedding Crashers") have been tied to the film -- and Dobkin remains on board as a producer.
The studio "doesn't think there's millions and millions of rabid 'U.N.C.L.E' fans out there, but they do recognize that the brand has some mythology to it," the individual said. "It's a major franchise they have wanted for over a decade now and a script they're very happy with."
For a short time, the espionage thriller set in the 1960s seemed to be moving at a quick clip. Soderbergh, who has delivered Warner Bros. hits including "Ocean's Eleven," "Ocean's Twelve," "Ocean's Thirteen" and "Contagion," brought a new level of excitement to the movie. There was talk that "Oceans" actor George Clooney -- who also worked with Soderbergh on the 1998 "Out of Sight," the 2002 "Solaris" and the 2006 "The Good German" -- would play the lead role of Napoleon Solo.
But then Clooney decided against it.
The studio acknowledged this fall that it wanted Bradley Cooper to take the part, but talks with the actor fizzled.
An individual close to the studio said that Warner's and Soderbergh couldn't agree on some casting issues and were at odds over budget.
The individual said that the studio continues to look for another director to take on the project -- and noted that despite the buzz, "U.N.C.L.E." hadn't yet been greenlit.
That individual compared "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." to "Akira," another Warner's project that has gone through a succession of directors and writers. Before Jaume Collet-Serra became attached this past July, Ruairi Robinson and Albert Hughes were attached to direct.
03-18-13, 07:29 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
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.
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.
03-18-13, 08:15 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
In what universe is a "Man from U.N.C.L.E." remake at all relevant? When the original series aired, it was a response to James Bond, which was a response to the Cold War. The TV series, which I loved back then, gave us the chance to see Bond-like thrills and gadgets every week rather than have to wait for the next Bond film (which my parents weren't letting me see at that age anyway).
Decades later when I re-watched some of those old "U.N.C.L.E." episodes, I was appalled at how terrible they were. And completely divorced from the realpolitiks of the era. Today, in a world where everyone knows the CIA's reach and influence and pervasiveness, how could we accept some other super-secret government agency superseding the CIA onscreen?
Decades later when I re-watched some of those old "U.N.C.L.E." episodes, I was appalled at how terrible they were. And completely divorced from the realpolitiks of the era. Today, in a world where everyone knows the CIA's reach and influence and pervasiveness, how could we accept some other super-secret government agency superseding the CIA onscreen?
03-18-13, 09:08 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
Rocknrolla was him just fucking around and I have no time for such rubbish from him again.
03-18-13, 09:33 PM
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03-18-13, 10:54 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
I should hate Guy Ritichie's Sherlock Holmes films. They turn one of literature's greatest characters into a Jet Li Kung-Fu master and fill stories that were once about intellectualism and puzzle-solving into big action-adventure movies that have been focus-grouped into oblivion. But somehow, I do find them kind of fun.
I have seldom laughed as hard as I did during Mark Kermode's review of that film.
I have seldom laughed as hard as I did during Mark Kermode's review of that film.
03-19-13, 01:34 AM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
I just wanted to clarify that I didn't hate the Sherlock Holmes films, in fact, I loved them. What I meant about GR fucking around is that they continue to link him to project after project that isn't another gangster flick. He ain't Robert Rodriguez - he doesn't work that way.
03-19-13, 01:36 AM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
Whats next My Three Sons the movie?
But at least this should keep him away from the next Bond movie, so I say go for it.
03-19-13, 03:10 PM
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03-19-13, 03:54 PM
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Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
"You remember that show My Three Sons? That'd be funny if it was called My One Dad.
04-24-13, 11:28 PM
#25
Re: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Soderbergh, 2012?) - News , Rumors, Cast, Etc.
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.
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.