Steven Soderbergh to direct The Man From U.N.C.L.E.?

[Checkmate]

Unfortunately, it's going to be set in the 1960s which will kill it right there. It should really be set today.

Wrong.

That's pretty much the only reason I'll consider watching this. "Modernizing" period pieces is what kills so many of these types of things.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Absolutely. I still don't have high hopes for it, but making it a period piece is the only thing that can save it (aside from making it a sequel with new characters and premise).

 

[23skidoo]

^^ Absolutely. I still don't have high hopes for it, but making it a period piece is the only thing that can save it (aside from making it a sequel with new characters and premise).

Also remember the Mad Men effect is under way which has sparked several other period TV series. If The Playboy Club and Pan Am (especially Pan Am which apparently is partly a spy series according to the promos) do well, a 1960s-set UNCLE will be a guarantee. I'm personally not interested in seeing it become I Spy 2.0 (referring to the godawful Owen Wilson/Eddie Murphy movie that was supposedly based on the TV series but then abandoned everything that made the TV series great, including regressing Bill Cosby's character who in the original was the more experienced agent). Reimaginings of 1960s-era spy series, updating to the present day, have a Zero percent success rate (I Spy, Wild Wild West (for all intents and purposes even if the era remained the same), The Avengers, The Prisoner miniseries...) - the only exception was Get Smart and even it didn't meet with 100% approval.

I do expect political correctness is going to play a part in the casting. Expect one of the characters to change gender (unless April Dancer is brought in, though I'd be very surprised if Waverley remains an elderly English gent in the new film in any event) and/or ethnicity. I doubt even Kuryakin is immune from this. And considering bother Robert Vaughn and David McCallum are involved in high-profile TV shows (Hustle and NCIS, respectively), I'd be disappointed if they didn't work in some sort of cameo for the two.

Alex

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Why do you think the agents will change gender? Look at the article I linked to. It named lots of male actors as being under consideration. Not a hint of any talk of a female lead.

I'd also anticipate that this will have a similar vibe to Soderbergh's Ocean's 11 movies rather than outright spoofery.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Also remember the Mad Men effect is under way which has sparked several other period TV series. If The Playboy Club and Pan Am (especially Pan Am which apparently is partly a spy series according to the promos) do well, a 1960s-set UNCLE will be a guarantee.

There seems to be more period pieces coming out these days. X-Men: First Class and Captain America were both period pieces and the upcoming Dark Shadows is a period piece. Hopefully, studios will have continued success with this and keep it up.

 

[AJBryant]

(Though, oddly, I could see Angelina Jolie making a good female Solo...)

Angelina is to hot to ever be solo.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Bradley Cooper has apparently been offered the main role [Solo, presumably], after bigger names passed on it. Hmmm, wouldn't necessarily be my ideal choice, but I guess he could work.

http://www.moviehole.net/201147480-bradley-cooper-may-be-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e

 

[Garak]

They should get Tom Cruise to star in this, so he can do what he did with the last dusty, boring old tv show turned movie he was a part of - turn it in to something worthwhile, exciting and economically viable.

 

[RJDiogenes]

 

[Caretaker]

I'm still fearful of some of these film adaptations of tv shows after what the first Mission: Impossible film did to Jim Phelps.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Agreed. One of the big problems with contemporary re-makes and re-boots is that the architects have no respect for the source material.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Everything I've read with the writer of this movie makes me thing that that's not the case here.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's good to hear. Hopefully he walks the walk and doesn't just talk the talk.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Also remember the Mad Men effect is under way which has sparked several other period TV series. If The Playboy Club and Pan Am (especially Pan Am which apparently is partly a spy series according to the promos) do well, a 1960s-set UNCLE will be a guarantee.

There seems to be more period pieces coming out these days. X-Men: First Class and Captain America were both period pieces and the upcoming Dark Shadows is a period piece. Hopefully, studios will have continued success with this and keep it up.

Well Playboy Club crashed & burned and things aren't looking too good for Pan Am either. I think this trend will fizzle out on TV anyway.

Bradley Cooper has apparently been offered the main role [Solo, presumably], after bigger names passed on it. Hmmm, wouldn't necessarily be my ideal choice, but I guess he could work.

http://www.moviehole.net/201147480-bradley-cooper-may-be-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e

Cooper is hot enough anyway. I just hope this doesn't interfere with Doctor Strange which he really should make instead (not that there are any rumors to that effect.)

 

[RJDiogenes]

I'm a little disappointed that Playboy Club flopped (although I never actually watched it), but Pan Am was pretty much designed for failure. But X-Men and Cap were pretty successful, and I'm hoping Dark Shadows follows suit.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Pan Am, on the basis of the first two episodes anyway, just isn't very good. I don't think the 1960s setting has anything to do with it.

 

[Captaindemotion]

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/22385/bradley-cooper-out-of-u-n-c-l-e

Cooper has also passed. The number of actors passing on this is a little worrying (Damon, Clooney, Cooper) and perhaps doesn't speak volumes for the script (supposedly Cooper and his people were originally very keen), though I believe it was injury which kept Clooney from this quite physical role.

Joel Edgerton seems to be in the frame for Kuryakin.

 

[Starkers]

Having recently watched Contaigion I'm slightly worried that Soderburgh is directing this, he's very technical without being fun (people will point to the Oceans films but I've never counted them highly in the heist genre.) An UNCLE film needs to be stylish and slightly tongue in cheek (note slightly, not talking Austin Powers here but neither do I want Casino Royale)

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Have to say, the idea of a Ocean's 11 vibe for this movie appeals to me immensely, but I am aware of the poor reviews for Contagion, which I haven't seen myself.

I did think that Erin Brockovich and his early, little-seen and under-rated King of the Hill movie were both a lot of fun and were humourous without being silly. I still have hopes that he'll get this right.

 

[Starkers]

Contaigion was interesting, but felt like a really long public information film