Opinion is often mixed on Guy Ritchie, who first burst on the scene with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Many feel his movies are full of flash better suited for music videos, and when he was with Madonna he made one of the worst remakes ever with Swept Away. Of course, as with Quentin Tarantino, the words Madonna and acting should never be uttered in the same sentence.
But IMHO, in spite of his blunders, Ritchie made one of the funniest movies I’d seen in years with Snatch (Brad Pitt’s performance was an absolute riot), and he’s obviously sprung himself out of bad movie jail with his reinvention of Sherlock Holmes.
The next Holmes film from Ritchie has received positive advance reviews, and off the heat of the second Holmes installment, reports have now surfaced that Ritchie may direct the big screen adaptation of 60’s spy show The Man From U.N.C.L.E., which ran on NBC from 1964-1968.
As we previously reported on TG, Steven Soderberg, hot off his own hit with Contagion, was going to direct U.N.C.L.E., then bowed out. (George Clooney was also set to star, and left the project before Soderberg did).
Now Deadline reports Ritchie is indeed making a deal with Warner to step in and take over the big screen adaptation of the show.
As far as directing approaches, going retro might not work for this one, especially considering many people of today’s generation wouldn’t be familiar with the show at all. Where Soderberg could have delivered an U.N.C.L.E. much like Ocean’s Eleven, a big studio film that reinvented an old title for today’s generation, Ritchie could also possibly do the same, but with his hyperactive cinematic style, much like he successfully brought Sherlock up to date. Also come to think of it, Robert Downey Jr. would make a cool Napoleon Solo as well…
