Tom Cruise is in early talks for the lead in Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E, according to Deadline.
The spy thriller has spent years in development hell, passing from Matthew Vaughn to David Dobkin and Steven Soderbergh before Ritchie signed on to direct in 2011.
If Cruise signs on to the film, he’ll play Cold War spy Napoleon Solo, a role first portrayed by Robert Vaughn in the 1960s television series. There’s also the role of Solo’s Russian partner Illya Kuryakin which remains to be filled.
It’s unclear which direction the film will take, with reports that Dobkin was opting for a more comedic interpretation, while Soderbergh was to take the franchise back to its 60s roots, thanks to a screenplay by Scott Z. Burns.
The role would demand a lot from the 50-year-old physically, but could also provide him with a new Hollywood blockbuster franchise similar to his Mission: Impossible series.
