The Man From U.N.C.L.E., starring Henry Cavill (Man Of Steel) and Armie Hammer (The Lone Ranger) starts filming in September.
In the most recent issue of Variety, the film is described as an “origin story that tells of the first pairing of two spies, one American, one Russian.”
This is a reference to the lead characters, Napeoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer).
“Unlike the friendly banter of the original TV series, the pair are initially hostile to each other,” someone familiar with the script commented.
Burlingame also reported that after Tom Cruise left the project, Warner Bros. cut the budget to $75 million.
Cruise’s departure opened the door for Henry Cavill to take the Solo role. Armie Hammer had already been cast as Kuryakin.
Solo and Kuryakin were played by Robert Vaughn (Coronation Street, Bullitt) and David McCallum (N.C.I.S., The Great Escape) in the original 1964-68 series.
Variety describes The Man From U.N.C.L.E. as “a fairly serious action pic.”
In other casting news, The Great Gatsby’s Elizabeth Debicki has also joined Cavill, Hammer, and Alicia Vikander in the Guy Ritchie reboot.
This would be Debicki’s first major role following The Great Gatsby, which grossed more than $300 million worldwide.
The role is a huge get for Debicki given that the studio sees it as a splashy role since they had considered actresses like Rose Byrne and Charlize Theron for the part before deciding to give Debicki a shot.
Debicki is currently on stage at the Sydney Theater Company opposite Cate Blanchet (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) in The Maids.
Henry Cavill comes fresh from the successful Man Of Steel in which he plays Superman and Armie Hammer looks to redeem himself from the flop that was The Lone Ranger.
More casting news for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. as filming starts shortly.
[Image via Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com ]