Tom Cruise seemed to be lining up a new franchise oddly similar to his MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE films when he signed to star in THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. opposite Armie Hammer for director Guy Ritchie. So, when it was announced that MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 5 was a go, Cruise had to make a choise and has now bid farewell to U.N.C.L.E.. The problem is that Ritchie was getting ready to shoot his movie later this year and now the search is underway for a new leading man.
Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is searching for someone to fill Cruise's shoes in the film inspired by the original TV series ran from 1964-68, with Robert Vaughan and David McCallum playing Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, two agents of the United Network Command for Law Enforcement. With gadgets and their wits and charm, they fought the evil forces of Thrush. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. was previously set to star George Clooney before he and then director Steven Soderbergh dropped the project.
It remains to be seen what type of star WB is looking for to replace Cruise. With this being such a high profile film, who would have enough star power to carry the lead? Since Ritchie is directing, I would think Robert Downey, Jr. could fill the role nicely. But, he is looking to step away from franchise filmmaking, so I don’t know if he would do it. Who do you think would be a good replacement?