Playing Superman has not typically led to diverse careers for the actors playing the big blue boy scout. So latching onto another potential franchise is a smart move for Henry Cavill, who’s starring as CIA agent Napoleon Solo in the big screen adaptation of 1960s TV show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (The acronym stands for “United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.”)
Here’s the trailer for the film. And as you’d expect from a Guy Ritchie joint, it looks slick and all kinds of stylish.
Beginning with what looks to be a killer car chase is a great way for a trailer to kick off. I was personally impressed by Cavill demonstrating right away that he’s not playing Superman or Clark Kent as a spy. (He’s got a gun! Superman doesn’t use a gun!) He shows an intelligence and charisma that Man of Steel didn’t really allow him to demonstrate. But I still kind of can’t get over that Cavill truly looks like the comic book Superman come to life.
Moving on from that, between Kingsman: The Secret Service coming out this weekend and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., spy movies are cool again and don’t belong exclusively to the James Bond (or Jason Bourne) franchises. What I also like from this trailer is that there’s a sense of fun that the current Bond films — though I love them — lack a bit as they’ve gone in a deadly serious direction. The period setting of this movie helps capture that original sense of jet-setting adventure that the Bond movies and books had.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — which also stars Armie Hammer, Hugh Grant and Jared Harris — is scheduled for an Aug. 14 release.
[Deadline]
