There’s no word yet on when/if Guy Ritchie will be making Sherlock Holmes 3, but this summer the director returns with The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a different action/adventure that will take audiences back in time. Here, the period setting is that of the early 1960s, while the material being adapted (and modernized) is the espionage/international crime-fighting television series of the same name (which aired from 1964-68).
Man from U.N.C.L.E., like Sherlock Holmes, revolves around a buddy duo; in this case, the American CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and the Russian KGB operative Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), who must ignore the fact that their countries are locked in a Cold War and worked together to stop a threat to global security. Ritchie’s new film doesn’t update the historical setting of the ’60s TV seres that inspired it (unlike the Mission: Impossible movies), but it does give the world of U.N.C.L.E. agents a Sherlock Holmes-style makeover, judging by early trailer footage.
The newly-released second Man from U.N.C.L.E. trailer (watch it above) does an even better job than the first theatrical preview, when it comes to showcasing the sort of high-energy action, witty banter and/or foreplay, and general sense of escapist fun that moviegoers have come to associate with (and expect from) Ritchie’s work. Ritchie’s approach to action-driven storytelling – like his fondness for things like stylized shoot-outs and fake accents – rubbed some people the wrong way as it was applied to Sherlock Holmes, but those elements do seem complimentary to the “sexy ’60s thrill ride” vibe of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. trailers.
On that note, you can check out the new poster for Man from U.N.C.L.E., below:
Man from U.N.C.L.E. isn’t exactly a household name, as far as brand recognition goes; meaning, Ritchie’s latest project (which he co-wrote with frequent collaborator Lionel Wigram) isn’t as easy a sell as his Sherlock Holmes films were. Then again, the box office success of Kingsman: The Secret Service has signaled that moviegoers are eager for more of Man from U.N.C.L.E.‘s similarly upbeat and playful type of espionage genre entertainment (in a time when James Bond and his covert missions are much more serious and dramatic, by comparison).
Hammer’s career definitely took a hit in 2013 thanks to Disney’s Lone Ranger debacle, but his costar Cavill is doing fine post-Man of Steel, and the pair are joined by Ex Machina star Alicia Vikander in Man from U.N.C.L.E. too. Combine that with the appealing supporting cast of Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby), Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), as well as Hugh Grant (Cloud Atlas), and there’s a good deal to recommend about this particular tale of “special agents” who have to save the world.
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The Man from U.N.C.L.E. opens in U.S. theaters on August 14th, 2015.
