Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruise

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by Shilliam Watner, Mar 25, 2013.

  1. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    Oh, I really like that idea.
     
  2. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    There was a Clooney version with Steven Soderbergh that never got very far. Hell, there's a good chance this might not even happen with Tom Cruise. Actors are attached to projects and leave all the time.

    That's how Green Hornet went from George Clooney to Greg Kinnear to... Seth Rogen.
     
  3. auntiehill

    auntiehill The Blooness Premium Member

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    ^I'd like to pretend that movie never happened. Eesh.

    I'm reeeeeaaallly hoping that Cruise isn't in an UNCLE film. I'm so sick of him, I can't stand it. He just comes off as fake and unlikable.

    Of course, I was always an Illyia girl, so my main concern is who plays Kuryakin. Right now, I'm thinking Paul Bettany would be a good choice.
     
  4. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    I think people's problems with Cruise stem mainly from his personal life. Judging him strictly as an actor, I've always found him to be quite capable, professional, and dedicated. I admire the care and hard work he puts into his craft, whatever issues I may have with other aspects of his life that are really none of my business anyway.

    That said, I just don't think he's the right choice for Napoleon Solo. Particularly since he's already the lead of another spy-revival franchise. It gives the impression that the movie might not be distinct enough in its character and flavor. Now, Ritchie directing is encouraging; the Holmes-Watson relationship in his Holmes movies feels reasonably similar to the Solo-Kuryakin dynamic, a resourceful, larger-than-life comic hero bantering with his more serious sidekick. So he seems like a good choice. I'm just not sure Cruise could pull it off. Then again, Cruise has done comedy in the past, and he did a rather chameleonic turn in Tropic Thunder. So maybe he could play a different enough persona to make it work -- but I'm afraid the studio would be pushing for just more of the same stuff he does in M:I.
     
  5. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    I think Cruise can play impish and playful without any problem. He's be great as Napoleon Solo. Actually you know who'd be the perfect Kuryakin to Cruise's Solo? Leonardo DiCaprio.
     
  6. diankra

    diankra Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    Isn't there also another question about Kuryakin: what nationality do you make him? Stay Russian, as there's enough tension with Putin's Russia for the undercurrent (such as it was, of UNCLE being above superpower politics) to be the same, or go with somewhere more openly hostile to 'the west'? And if so, where?
     
  7. auntiehill

    auntiehill The Blooness Premium Member

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    He should stay Russian...but I'm sure the movie studios will change it.
     
  8. Shilliam Watner

    Shilliam Watner Commander

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    If DiCaprio could lighten his hair to a blonde, I could see him as Kuryakin.
     
  9. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    Well, I've only seen 9 episodes so far, but I don't see any tension at all between Solo and Kuryakin. The U.N.C.L.E. is treated as an international security organization protecting against threats to every nation's security and survival; the basic dynamic is not one superpower versus another, but the cooperating nations of the world versus rogue groups and terrorist organizations threatening to destabilize global security. That's actually a far more plausible and timely premise today than it was in the 1960s. So there's no reason for Illya not to be Russian.
     
  10. diankra

    diankra Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    Tend to agree, there's never any tension between them and the point is that they're working together on something more important than politics, which is why I mentioned it only as being a very vague undercurrent (indeed, some of the network PR material at the time actually claimed that Kuryakin was a defector, which really annoyed the producers as a case of Missing The Point). But in character terms it matters slightly, that this pair who trust each other implicitly are from enemy nations.
    BTW, Christopher, if you're only just getting into seeing the series, the one spin-off book to track down is The Dagger Affair, which sees Thrush and UNCLE working together temporarily, and explains how Thrush developed out of the remnants of Professor Moriarty's organisation, and how, during the first world war, Waverly saved the life of the man who'd later become the head of Thrush. Really nice stuff.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2013
  11. lennier1

    lennier1 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    I can already see it. Cruise and a guy in a gorilla costume, dancing on a couch!
     
  12. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    It's being reported that Tom Cruise is Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer is Illya Kuryakin.
     
  13. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    He's a bit young for it, but I'd rather see Anton Yelchin as Illya. He's actually Russian by birth, and is a very good actor.

    Of course, a modern movie needs a female lead. I wonder if they'll include April Dancer, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
     
  14. Captaindemotion

    Captaindemotion Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    I'm surprised that they've opted for someone so much younger than Tom. But, even more so, I'm surprised that they've opted for someone so much TALLER than Tom! There's a good 10 inches between the two - 5'7" versus 6'5". The poster is going to look like Arnie and Danny DeVito in Twins!
     
  15. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    Hollywood has been disguising actors' and actresses' relative heights for generations. Although it's true that one of the main ways they've done that was with selective casting.
     
  16. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    Don't see why Cruise couldn't play the villian, i.e the head of THRUSH.
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2013
  17. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    I don't think we ever saw the head of THRUSH, just the THRUSH agent of the week. Although there was one where they captured the third man from the top, I think it was.

    Although of course a movie would do things differently, so they could give it a head.

    And Cruise is playing the hero because they want to attract the Mission: Impossible movie audience. I doubt that The Man from U.N.C.L.E. has enough name recognition today to rely on that alone, so they want star power and some coattails to ride.
     
  18. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    Chris Hemsworth towers over Robert Downey Jr. (who's the same height as Cruise) but it wasn't an issue in The Avengers.
     
  19. the G-man

    the G-man Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    if by "lead," you mean a costar with equal billing and role in the story, I'd submit very few modern action movies have a female lead. Most female parts in these films are supporting roles consisting of a damsel in distress, gal friday or eye candy.
     
  20. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Guy Ritchie To Direct 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' Starring Tom Cruis

    ^Dredd's about the only one that immediately springs to mind.