Remember Snatch, starring Benecio Del Toro and Brad Pitt and Dennis Farina and all those cool people? I’m sure you remember Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Both films were directed by Guy Ritchie, and if you’re a fan of his directorial resume, then prepare yourself for The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is part of America’s spy character history; the original 1960s show is such a part of pop culture that I even used it as the inspiration for one of my Tyrant recaps. The film adaptation takes viewers back to the 1960s, but really gives us a glossy, extravagant view of the time. To paraphrase one of the critics, the film does give James Bond a run for its money (just the visuals alone put it up against Bond in a big way).
I’m happy to share 34 stills from the film; check them out in the gallery! The Man from U.N.C.L.E. comes to theaters Aug. 14.
Here’s more about The Man from U.N.C.L.E.:
Director: Guy Ritchie
Writer: Screenplay by Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram
Story by Jeff Kleeman & David Campbell Wilson and Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram
Based on the television series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”
Producers: John Davis, Steve Clark-Hall, Lionel Wigram, Guy Ritchie
Executive Producer: David Dobkin
Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, with Jared Harris, and Hugh Grant
Action Adventure. Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”) as Illya Kuryakin in director Guy Ritchie’s action adventure “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series. Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E” also stars Alicia Vikander (“Ex Machina”) and Elizabeth Debicki (“The Great Gatsby”), with Jared Harris (“Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows”), and Hugh Grant as Waverly. The screenplay was written by Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram, who previously collaborated on re-imagining the classic detective Sherlock Holmes in two hit films. The story is by Jeff Kleeman & David Campbell Wilson and Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram, based on the television series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” John Davis (“Chronicle”), Steve Clark-Hall (“RocknRolla,” the “Sherlock Holmes” films), Lionel Wigram, and Guy Ritchie produced the film, with David Dobkin serving as executive producer. Ritchie’s behind-the-scenes creative team included two-time Oscar-nominated director of photography John Mathieson (“The Phantom of the Opera,” “Gladiator”), production designer Oliver Scholl (“Jumper,” “Edge of Tomorrow”), editor James Herbert (the “Sherlock Holmes” films, “Edge of Tomorrow”), Oscar-nominated costume designer Joanna Johnston (“Lincoln”), and composer Daniel Pemberton (“The Counselor”). “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” will be shown in IMAX in select theaters.
A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, a Ritchie/Wigram Production, a Davis Entertainment Production, a Guy Ritchie Film, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. It is rated PG-13 for action violence, some suggestive content, and partial nudity.
