'Man From U.N.C.L.E.': Will Tom Cruise star?
Tom Cruise isn鈥檛 as invulnerable at the box office as he used to be (see: Rock of Ages), but WB is entrusting the Mission: Impossible star to carry another 1960s spy TV series-turned movie 鈥� in the form of adaptation.
Cruise is reported to have begun early talks for Man from U.N.C.L.E., presumably eying the role of American spy Napoleon Solo. We鈥檙e also hearing the actor is lining up to reprise his role as the title character, drawing from one of the other seventeen books authored by Lee Child (whose eighteenth Reacher novel arrives this Summer).
Man from U.N.C.L.E. was going to be a reunion for screenwriter Scott Z. Burns and director Steven Soderbergh, with Channing Tatum being considered to star. Studio executives (reportedly) on budget and casting, which prompted the director to move on and make聽 with Burns and Tatum instead.聽Sherlock Holmes producer Lionel Wigram and director Guy Ritchie were 聽after Soderbergh departed.
A Ritchie-directed take on Man from U.N.C.L.E. could lie in Cruise鈥檚 wheelhouse, as his version should feature the A-lister playing the 鈥渙rdinary man with superhuman durability鈥� type he鈥檚 perfected over the years. Soderbergh鈥檚 take would have fallen closer to , which probably wasn鈥檛 a great way to attempt and jump-start a聽new lucrative franchise set on an international stage.
Will the masses be interested in watching Cruise trotting so close to his Ethan Hunt character, while crossing into Mission: Impossible territory (as far as contemporary spy game thrillers go)? There鈥檚 already a fifth Mission installment on the way, one which聽could reteam Cruise with .
Speaking of which: the Reacher sequel new comes as a surprise, following suggesting that Paramount will only consider green-lighting the project after its predecessor reaches the $250 million global benchmark (according to聽, it鈥檚 at聽$215.6 million). The followup isn鈥檛 a sure thing, but the solid profits on a $60 million investment 鈥� coupled with good vibes surrounding Cruise and McQuarrie鈥檚 鈥� have convinced studio heads to not throw in the towel just yet.
Cruise returns to the big screen in next month鈥檚 , a sci-fi blockbuster that could build on the momentum from Jack Reacher 鈥� demonstrating its lead can still draw a sizable audience, outside of when he defies the laws of physics in a聽Mission: Impossible听尘辞惫颈别.
Indeed, it would be a nice to see the Cruise/Ritchie Man from U.N.C.L.E.聽adaptation follow Brian De Palma鈥檚 Mission: Impossible -聽by focusing on cloak-and-dagger espionage rather than cartoonish superheroics 鈥� and not repeat the mistakes from Ritchie鈥檚聽overblown . Otherwise, a Jack Reacher followup sounds like the more enticing future Cruise project.
Which sounds better to YOU: Richie鈥檚 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. starring Cruise or a Jack Reacher sequel? Do both sound equally promising 鈥� or have you gotten your fill of Cruise saving the world on the big screen?
Sandy Schaefer blogs at .
