The long in development adaptation of the 1960s spy series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” just became infinitely more interesting, as it seems super prolific filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (CONTAGION, AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE) is in early talks to take over the directorial reins of the Warner Bros. project.
Joining Soderbergh will also be writer Scott Z. Burns who worked with the director on THE INFORMANT! as well as the currently in production thriller CONTAGION. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. was originally going to be brought to us by director David Dobkin (WEDDING CRASHERS) and writer Max Borenstein. Dobkin will now fill the role of a producer, and it appears that Burns will be writing a whole new screenplay for Soderbergh, something that I imagine will be much more nuanced then the Borenstein/Dobkin action-comedy route the film would’ve previously taken.
The series also showcased a very fun spy soundtrack which featured the talents of the great Jerry Goldsmith and Lalo Schifrin among others. Goldsmith is obviously now amongst the stars, but I’d love to see Soderbergh perhaps bring back Schifrin for an all new take.
A little about the show, per THR’s Heat Vision: “U.N.C.L.E. aired on NBC from 1964-68, during a Cold War period that saw numerous spy shows hit the airwaves. James Bond author Ian Fleming was even a creator of the show, which focused on the adventures of American and Russian members of a secret agency called the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.”