The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: original series & films

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  • Posts: 172
    YEs i'm from Indonesia...

  • Posts: 3,333
    OK, thanks guys. I see where you're coming from now, @chuck007. Am I right in saying that the TV series MI was still being shown on Indonesian TV in the early 90s whilst TMFU was not then? If so, then I can understand why you think like this. However the main market is the US and it's here where WB will make or break the movie, as the studio doesn't get the same cut of the worldwide BO like it does in the States.
  • Posts: 172
    bondsum wrote:
    OK, thanks guys. I see where you're coming from now, @chuck007. Am I right in saying that the TV series MI was still being shown on Indonesian TV in the early 90s whilst TMFU was not then? If so, then I can understand why you think like this.

    Yes Star trek, and Mission Impossible still being shown on Indonesia TV in the early 90s. My parents and other from his generation (born in 40s), never talk about TMFU, maybe not popular show here in my country, what they really know strongly only Star Trek, Mission Impossible, The Saint and Hawaii Five-O.
    bondsum wrote:
    However the main market is the US and it's here where WB will make or break the movie, as the studio doesn't get the same cut of the worldwide BO like it does in the States.

    i see, that's why they chose Cavill since he play Superman to attract new audience for worldwide market, in the mean time maybe i should watch the original first...

  • The original series was very popular for a relatively short time. The surge began in the second half of season one (after it was moved to Monday nights from Tuesday), and through the second season, which was on Friday nigths.

    In the third season, it had more competition (CBS began showing movies on Fridays) and UNCLE was moved to earlier in the evening. Ratings were down but it was renewed for a fourth season.

    In the fourth season, UNCLE was moved back to Mondays. CBS moved Gunsmoke to Mondays (after initially canceling the show) and it trounced it. Instead of moving the show, NBC canceled it at mid-season.

    There were other shows that became popular but flamed out, including the 1966 Batman show (popular enough to merit a film version only to be canceled by the spring of 1968).

    Some history about UNCLE's demise:

    http://hmssweblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/28/45th-anniversary-of-the-end-of-u-n-c-l-e-and-60s-spymania/

  • edited July 2013 Posts: 4,622
    Uncle is so old, it can be relaunched as new again. It has to be done right, much the way Mission Impossible was able to capture the original series vibe, or at least enough of it, for translation to the contemporary film audience.
    Helping Uncle to some extent I think, might be the recent revival of the '60s look and vibe. We saw this in the X-Men First Class film, while the TV series Mad Men has re-popularized the '60s scene too.
  • Variety reporting that The Man From UNCLE has a Sept. 7 start date. Budget is $75 million. Budget was reduced after Tom Cruise left.

    http://variety.com/2013/film/news/guy-ritchie-henry-cavill-armie-hammer-ready-to-cry-u-n-c-l-e-1200570113/
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 7,961
    This is good new concerning Richie's approach.

    http://collider.com/man-from-uncle-movie-news-elizabeth-debicki/
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 4,622
    Just fleshing out the above excellent linked article from @talos7

    Elizabeth Debicki from Great Gatsby is a new Uncle Girl, reported femme fatale, joining fellow Uncle Girl Alicia Vikander, pictured elsewhere on this thread.

    I find this little nugget to be encouraging. No danger of Uncle Season 3, it seems.
    "A separate Variety report notes that Ritchie’s take on the material is described as “a fairly serious action pic set in the ‘60s” that will revolve around the origin of the two U.N.C.L.E. spies meeting for the first time—one American (Cavill) and one Russian (Hammer). Solo and Kuryakin are initially hostile towards one another in Ritchie’s pic, but it’s unknown how long the rivalry will play out in the finished film and whether another antagonist finally forces the two to work together."

  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited August 2013 Posts: 17,687
    And I think Ritchie can duplicate that given the talent involved.
  • Posts: 1,706
    Also the main villain has been revealed as a Christopher Waltz-type villain with penchant for torture. Will he use a sinister toy train set or red hot poker?……. we shall see.
  • Posts: 3,333
    So the production budget has been pared down to $75 million which is probably a good thing considering all these expensive tent-pole summer flops. This should allow for the movie making a healthy profit. Also, good to hear that Ritchie’s take on the material is described as “a fairly serious action pic set in the ‘60s” that will revolve around the origin of the two U.N.C.L.E. spies meeting for the first time. Bring it on.
  • As Fiona Volpe once said, "Questions, questions, all I get is questions!" So here are some more in an HMSS Weblog post:

    bit.ly/141NBhF
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 4,622
    Elizabeth Debicki, 23 year-old Australian stage and film actress, recently featured in The Great Gatsby
    Elizabeth_Debicki_2,_2013.jpg
    As Fiona Volpe once said, "Questions, questions, all I get is questions!" So here are some more in an HMSS Weblog post:
    bit.ly/141NBhF
    re the above-linked HMSS weblog post: The question below is a puzzler? Warner Bros needs to step up.
    "Why hasn’t Warner Bros. made an announcement yet? The studio has announced a Superman-Batman movie for 2015 (starring Henry Cavill, who played the title character in this year’s Man of Steel and is to play Napoleon Solo in the U.N.C.L.E. film); a 2014 science fiction movie directed by Christopher Nolan (which will be a co-production with Paramount); and The Judge, an October 2014 movie with Downey and Robert Duvall. "
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    I am so pumped for this!
  • Posts: 1,706
    Warner's made the Batman-Superman announcement because they could make a splash at Comic Con. Studios do not as a habit announce production of their films unless it's for something special like a Comic Con tie-in. Most of the time you don't see announcements for original films like "Taken" or "2 Guns". The closest thing you will see is the recent article in Variety so don't worry about an announcement until maybe the first day of shooting.

    Now, is Debicki playing Angelique?

    I would guess the next bit of news will be Waverly or the villain.
  • Posts: 820
    I read in Coming Soon web that the filming will start in September. I hope it confirmed. Now I wonder Walther guns except PPK any new pistol will be used or different brand. I hoping Walther. The TV series use Walther P38K.
  • Posts: 1,706
    Just like the new phasers in the Star Trek films, the guns will probably be a new design.
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 1,706
    Debicki says:


    "I'm a big fan of Guy's work, I always have been," Debicki told Confidential. "It is really exciting to be part of a remake of such a great show. The cast is fantastic and it will just be fresh and interesting and fun and dynamic. I love Guy's genre, it is such a mashup which makes for really interesting films."

    "I've certainly had more offers than before but I just felt like this was the right project," said Debicki, who is staying with friends in LA until rehearsals start later this month.

    "It is a substantial role, certainly to the plot and storyline," she said. "Armie and Henry are really the leads as they are in the original TV series and there are baddies and goodies on either side of them."
  • Posts: 1,706
    Paul Jennings, who's credits include the Sherlock Holmes films, Game of Thrones and RED2 has joined U.N.C.L.E. as the 2nd unit director and stunt coordinator.

    UNCLE's getting closer to giving Bond a run for his money every day.
  • Posts: 1,706
    Latest news from Hollywood Reporter:

    The U.N.C.L.E. film follows special agents Napoleon Solo (Cavill) and Illya Kullyakin (Armie Hammer), who work for the mysterious United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.), as they race to find missing hydrogen bomb from a B-52 bomber. Alicia Vikander also stars as the female lead in the pic.

    Hugh Grant will play the head of British Naval Intelligence.
  • Posts: 1,706
    Addendum:

    Hollywood Reporter has eliminated their reference to the "hydrogen bomb" plot so take that information with a grain of salt at best.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    I love that Hugh Grant is in. Didn't know his character was confirmed though.
  • Posts: 1,706
    Yes, Grant is confirmed as the head on Naval Intelligence. Has there been any such character in the Bond series?
  • delfloria wrote:
    Yes, Grant is confirmed as the head on Naval Intelligence. Has there been any such character in the Bond series?

    Off the top of my head, the closest we've seen to that was The Spy Who Loved Me, with Robert Brown and George Baker as high-ranking British naval officers (the scene with Roger Moore appearing in naval uniform). But I don't recall either being referred to as head of Naval Intelligence.

  • The movie's IMDB.com entry has been updated to include James Herbert, another crew member on Guy Ritchie's two Sherlock Holmes films as editor

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1638355/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
  • Posts: 1,706


    Just a reminder of what U.N.C.L.E. had to offer. Yvonne was right up there with the Bond girls.
  • Posts: 4,622
    Great video! The Uncle control girls were a hoot. They all flirted like crazy. I really liked the girl from Season One, Heather I think her name was.

    Here's another vid, chalk full of Control girls, not to mention groovy Uncle music and that Uncle car!!!!


  • Posts: 1,706
    "Henry Cavill at the Studios. Just finished his training session & not one hair out of place" via Caterina Boselli on twitter @catera who is a Film Producer and Co-founder of BCD Productions and is currently at Warner Brother's Leavesden Studio, UK.

    Solo in training!
  • Posts: 1,706
    More for today from The London View:

    Armie Hammer

    We're doing The Man From U.N.C.L.E, another old TV show, here with Guy Ritchie.
    Who are you playing?
    Armie Hammer

    Illya Kuryakin. It's going to be a lot of fun. And Henry Cavill is playing Napoleon Solo.
    Have you seen a lot of the TV show?
    Armie Hammer

    I'm getting into it now, I just got the DVDs so I'm going back and watching it. It's like, 'What is going on in this show, this is great!’. You've got Napoleon Solo who's an agent and Illya Kuryakin who's this mysterious KGB guy.


    Yes, I'll be doing a Russian Accent.
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