Man Of U.N.C.L.E...

Well, now we know who might be taking the Solo role Tom parachuted out on...

So instead of just having the man that played secret agent Ethan Hunt taking on the part of secret agent Napoleon Solo, we'll have Kal-El play him?  That sounds interesting.  Word is the buzz surrounding "Man of Steel" is so positive among the Bunny Suits that Warner feels Henry Cavill can lead another iconic franchise.

So if this rings true then Cavil will be Solo to Armie Hammer's Russian spy Illya Kuryakin.  That will be a comely duo for Guy Ritchie to have some fun with.  Will "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." be a present day adventure, or a period-centric 60's spy pic?

We may need a secret agent to find that out...

Impossible Mission: Man From Uncle...

Well, it appears Tom Cruise won't be starting a new spy franchise anytime soon...

The star has dropped out of the lead for Guy Ritchie's "The Man From Uncle" adaptation.  It appears that the scheduling conflict for filming this would have interfered with Cruise being actively involved in producing M:I 5 and he had to withdraw from the role.

So Warner Bros. and Ritchie are now on the hunt for another actor to play the role.  The film has had various actors in and out of the role (George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, etc.) since Steven Soderbergh was attached to make a retro-60's spy film for the Bunny.

Apparently the script is ready for production and the film was scheduled to film in late 2013, which is the reason it was a conflict for Cruise.  The fifth M:I film is currently being written by Drew Pearce, and is expected to be directed by Christopher MacQuarrie although he's not yet signed.  So who will get cast as Napoleon Solo?  Who will want it?  Robert Downey Jr. said something about wanting to create another non-Marvel franchise.

And he has worked with Guy Ritchie on another franchise...

Not Your Daddy's Sherlock Holmes...

Behold...

Feast your eyes on "The Napoleon of Crime!"

Brad Pitt as the criminal genius that thwarts Sherlock Holmes with his dastardly plans?

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Please, stop it! Tell me you're joking. Really? He is? No sh... ooops! I mean, Pitt has picked some really good projects and he knows enough to work on mostly smart scripts, but the mastermind of evil that is the bane of the Basil of Baker Street? This is clearly not the literary Holmes of Arthur Conan Doyle. Of that, I'm sure.

It's elementary...