Tom Cruise May Be Guy Ritchie's 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'

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by Kevin Jagernauth
March 18, 2013 8:28 PM
7 Comments

We've been over this ground before, so we'll make it brief. Once set to be directed by Steven Soderbergh, with George Clooney attached to star, the helmer bailed on Warner Bros. "The Man From From U.N.C.L.E." in the fall of 2011, after an impasse over casting (among other things). Clooney wasn't able to take the role, so the studio decided to eye someone younger (which is something they wanted all along anyway), with names like Bradley Cooper, Joel Edgerton and Ryan Gosling tossed around. Soderbergh's choices were either Michael Fassbender or Joel Kinnaman, gambles at the time, but in hindsight look pretty smart, but regardless, he moved on. About a month later, Guy Ritchie took over the project and then pretty much radio silence... until now...

Tom Cruise is in early talks to the lead in the movie, and while WB may have wanted someone young before, when it comes to Cruise you can go ahead and throw out those plans. However, the actor is yet to prove that his 'Ghost Protocol' box office wasn't just an anomaly. "Jack Reacher" underperformed — though Deadline says it might have made just enough for Paramount to go with a sequel — and "Oblivion" remains a question mark. Regardless, he's still a major international draw, and another spy series would be some serious bait. The word on the street is that talks started with Cruise after "All You Need Is Kill" with Doug Liman wrapped, suggesting the movie is pleasing top brass. But we can't imagine Parmaount will be overly thrilled with Cruise taking on something that on the surface level bears some resemble to his gig as Ethan Hunt.

It remains to be seen what the story will be. Scott Z. Burns recently revealed that the take he had developed with Soderbergh would've centered on the 1966 Palomares B-52 crash, and make ample use of the time period. What the approach from Ritchie will be isn't known just yet. So, is Cruise the right Napolean Solo? And more importantly, if he does take it, who is going to take the part of Illya Kuryakin?

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More: Tom Cruise, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Jack Reacher

7 Comments

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Raven West | March 27, 2013 11:32 AMReply

NO!! NO!! Please NO TOM CRUISE!! He's already ruined Mission Impossible for fans of the original series, please do not do this to us!

For a more contemporary U.N.C.L.E. themed story, read "Undercover Reunion" available in print and Kindle on Amazon,Here's a review by Bridget Calvert - Editor of ' The Network' - "Many U.N.C.L.E. fans of the sixties imagined themselves helping U.N.C.L.E. if this was you, you will enjoy this new novel. Raven West has caught the spirit of 'the things the dreams of U.N.C.L.E. fans all over the world consist of."

Tom, you're more than welcome to star is the movie adaptation of my novel, since none of the main characters are in it, but please do NOT ruin Solo the way you did Phelps and every other TV series character you portrayed!
Navas | March 19, 2013 11:36 AMReply

why does he do all these espionage type of films? other than the mission impossible stuff, everything related is just terrible.
austinphillip | March 19, 2013 7:32 AMReply

Cruise? Really?
Mike | March 19, 2013 2:38 AMReply

A WW gross of $220 million for a somewhat poorly received procedural thriller with a $60M budget does not = under performance. No other star could have driven that film to a higher gross and its fair to say Paramount know this, hence this offer to Cruise. I wouldn't have thought Cruise would be interested in this, what with MI and JR already filling up hiss franchise quota, but I guess once the Matarase Circle fell through he has been looking for a similar-ish project and this sounds like it could be it.
Alan B | March 19, 2013 4:22 AM

"No other star could have driven that film to a higher gross". Will Smith, but he's the only one. Except for that other Will Smith, the British comedian that writes and co-stars in 'The Thick Of It'.
Kitcon | March 19, 2013 1:02 AMReply

Questionable for all parties. Cruise's drawing power abroad even in his stronghold Japan seems to have waned, Reacher has only made $11M vs. $28M for Knight & Day. Cruise has the talent to move away from doing back to back to back action.
No | March 18, 2013 8:48 PMReply

Usually, I don't partake in pre-selection positions, but I really will be less inclined to see a re-make of the Man from UNCLE with Cruise.