...looking very dapper Napoleon-ish...

I've seen lots of back-and-forth on various sites regarding the casting of the new MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. movie. So, instead of replying to a hundred comments that are here, there and everywhere, [chuckle], I thought I would just post my thoughts on all this in one place.

NAPOLEON SOLO
I am very pro Henry Cavill in the role. For those of you that never caught his performance as Charles Brandon in the HBO series THE TUDORS, I do suggest checking out a few eps from the first couple of seasons. Henry just oozed charm in this role. He has everything it takes as an actor to play Solo to the hlit and I am rooting for him all the way. As to that "too muscular" complaint I've seen here and there -- he isn't anywhere near up to the musculature he had in MAN OF STEEL. What he looks like for Solo works imo. This is an action-adventure movie and he does have to look like he is capable of doing some very physical things. And finally, Finally, FINALLY the producers got it right and cast someone of the right age in the role.

ILLYA KURYAKIN
I have to admit I know absolutely nothing about Armie Hammer as an actor having never seen any of his previous acting vehicles. But he wasn't cast on name. He tried out for the part. So I have to believe Guy Ritchie saw something in his performance in that screen test that embodied whatever Ritchie was looking for in this new take on Illya Kuryakin. Hair? Come on. That's not an issue. This isn't about the hair; it's about the performance. So I'm more than willing to wait and see what Hammer brings to the table in a character that should play as much more Soviet than could be broached in the original series..

ALEXANDER WAVERLY
There is nothing anywhere inherent in the character of Alexander Waverly that makes it imperative he be well past retirement age as the head of U.N.C.L.E. In fact the original actor cast in the role in the series, Will Kulova, certainly wasn't. I think Hugh Grant can do a very good job as Waverly. I will admit Grant is not my favorite personality-wise, but this isn't about that. It's about whether he can successfully pull off the character in performance, and I definitely think he has the acting chops for that.

AS-YET-UNKNOWN FEMALE U.N.C.L.E. AGENT
It doesn't appear that Alicia Vikander's role is April Dancer and I thank God for that! Associating any character from the unfortunate GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. series with the new movie would be a big mistake in my opinion. Let's get a female agent who can do more than just look good in a mini-skirt!

IN CONCLUSION
I think it wise to remember this is now, not then. This movie will never replace the original MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. series. Nor will it remove from our hearts our attachments to the original actors (Robert Vaughn and David McCallum) who first brought the roles of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin to life. But it's a new take, a fresh take, and it has definite possibilities that intrigue me.

Hey folks,

It looks like the new MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. movie will be going a bit into the backgrounds of our two favorite agents.

Seems that a "younger incarnation of Solo" has just been cast for the movie.

Link is here.

Hey guys, finally an official announcement from the WB.

Here is the link.

MFU fans may find this tidbit from the August 25th entries on Row Three interesting.

It actually has to do with Guy Ritchie being tagged by Warner Bros. for the film project EMPIRE RISING. However, there is an oblique reference to the upcoming THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. movie that definitely suggests WB expects the director's current focus to be on MFU.

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Ritchie’s current project is also a Warner Bros. feature and filming for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. has yet to commence. It looks like filming for Empire Rising will begin only after the spy series hits theatres next year. Warner Bros. obviously has a lot of faith in Ritchie’s ability and his talent at keeping the box office hits coming.

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Note that sentence about the new (and I might highly touted) project only beginning filming "after the spy series hits theatres next year"...

Oh, and filming for the new MFU supposedly commences September 7th in London and Italy, according to the latest report.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Armie Hammer where he mentions his upcoming role as Illya Kuryakin in THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. remake movie:

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INTERVIEWER: You’re playing Illya Kuryakin in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
HAMMER: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: I feel that people unfamiliar with the show might not realize how cool that character is.
HAMMER: That’s very true. I had no idea before I got involved with it.

INTERVIEWER: The actor who played him in the series, David McCallum, became a heartthrob because of this character.
HAMMER: Oh, dude, he had the way with ladies. He had all of the spy gadgets. He was tough. He was cool. He had everything. He was like the original Bond.

INTERVIEWER: It’s an interesting movie because “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” was a popular show in the ’60s, but it hasn’t been a sustained popularity like something like “The Lone Ranger” or “Star Trek.” Do you think it needs to be completely reintroduced?
HAMMER: I try not to think about that. I mean, that seems to me– you know, Guy Ritchie, who’s directing it, that’s in his wheelhouse. I’ll let him worry about that. For me, like I said, my job lies almost exclusively between when the director says “action” and when he calls “cut.” So, it could also maybe be more freeing. That we do have a bit more artistic liberties to take with this. Because there are less people who are staunch fans of it.

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Full interview is here: Huffington Post interview with Armie Hammer
...but most of it concerns the movie THE LONE RANGER (this summer's big floppo as it turns out).

...in the new MFU movie!

I wanted him in the role from the git-go! Right look, right age, good actor! I'm dancing around the room with this news!

And for those who have never seen Henry Cavill in "suave" mode, take a gander at this pic:


Look at those dreamy eyes (okay so they are blue with only a touch of brown), but still)! That slightly cleft chin! And I've been impressed with what I've seen of his acting. Adored him in THE TUDORS. And he's the perfect age for the role at having just turned 30.

So now it seems director Guy Ritchie is wooing Tom Cruise to play the role of Napoleon Solo is the long-delayed Man from U.N.C.L.E. remake. See here for one link of many in this regard.

Why do directors keep going for these actors who are frankly just too old to play Napoleon Solo? Especially as Warner Bros. initially intimated they want to make the movie the first in a trilogy? At 51, Cruise -- besides my countless other objections to him for the role -- is again an actor who is just too old for this part.

Here's the latest buzz on the Solo casting. Pretty weird!!!

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Channing-Tatum-Soderbergh-Man-From-U-N-C-L-E-27895.html