Armie Hammer has signed on to star opposite Tom Cruise in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie will helm the cinematic version of the 60s television series starring Robert Vaughn.
Tom Cruise is already set to tackle the role of United Network Command for Law Enforcement agent Napoleon Solo. It’s believed that Lone Ranger star Armie Hammer will portray his partner in Ritchie’s big-screen update.
Once upon a time the project was in the capable hands of acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh . George Clooney was set to star in the flick until he was forced to drop out. The project sat around at Warner Bros. until Guy Ritchie decided to pick up the reins.
Even Ritchie wasn’t sure if he was going to direct the project for the studio. He was reportedly ready to jump ship until Tom Cruise decided to star in the flick .
Armie Hammer is quickly making a name for himself in Hollywood. He first popped up on the radar as the Winklevoss twins in David Fincher’s drama The Social Network . His box office mettle will be tested when The Lone Ranger arrives in theaters later this year.
Hammer recently explained to Collider how he managed to land the role of the iconic hero. After he learned about the talent involved in front of and behind the camera, the actor said he was definitely interested in playing the character.
The actor told the website:
“I went in and read with Gore and went back in another time and did a work session with Gore where we just talked about the character and then I went in a third time and sat down with Gore and Justin Haythe, the writer of the project, and we sat on Gore’s balcony and smoked cigars and talked about the project, then walked away and that was it.”
Director Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. starring Tom Cruise and Armie Hammer will open in theaters at some point next year. Are you looking forward to the big-screen adaptation of the classic TV series?