Watch the Swinging, Spy-Filled First Trailer for 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'
This weekend's "Kingsman: The Secret Service" might be the first big spy movie of 2015, but it's far from the last. This August, Warner Bros will unleash "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," based on the television series that ran for more than a hundred episodes from 1965 – 1968 (to tell you what a technologically trippy period this was, the first season's episodes were in black-and-white, the rest in color). This new version retains the period setting but seems to be ruder and more action-packed. Would you expect anything less from director Guy Ritchie?
In the new "Man from U.N.C.L.E.," Henry Cavill (summoning considerable more charm than he ever exhibited in "Man of Steel") plays Napoleon Solo, an American secret agent forced to partner with a Russian agent named Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer, forever the handsome straight man). Hugh Grant and Jared Harris are British agents and the almost painfully adorable Alicia Vikander seems to be the woman who shares both of their affections.
The action seems typically Guy Ritchie-y, with frantic bouts of super sped up stuff complemented by the achingly slow motion, but the energy seems solid and the period setting certainly does a lot to pile on the charm. It will be interesting to see Ritchie tackle something that isn't exclusively British-centered, but coming off the two biggest hits of his directorial career with his two "Sherlock Holmes" movies, it's fair to say that he's taking the material seriously and will deliver in a big way.
Watching the trailer, though, it's hard not to think of the original version of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," which was to be the last theatrical film from genius director Steven Soderbergh, with George Clooney in the Napoleon Solo role and featuring a score from David Holmes, based on a script by Scott Z. Burns ("Side Effects"). Ah, what could have been...
Watch the trailer and see the brand-new poster below.