Finally, a movie adaptation worth watching!
The first trailer for The Man from U.N.C.L.E., inspired by the 1960s TV series of the same name, debuted online Wednesday night. The spy comedy stars Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo, a debonair American CIA agent. Predictably, he must put aside his differences with Russian KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) to stop a mysterious international criminal organization from creating a global catastrophe.
Alicia Vikander plays Gaby Teller, the daughter of a mysteriously vanished German scientist, who helps the unlikely partners infiltrate the international criminal organization. Hugh Grant, meanwhile, plays Mr. Waverly, the head of the U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) organization.
Elizabeth Debicki and Jared Harris play Victoria Vinciguerra and Saunders, respectively.
Guy Richie directed the movie and co-wrote the script with Lionel Wigram.
So, why remake the series for the silver screen?
"The series hadn't really done the origin story—U.N.C.L.E. already existed," Wigram tells Entertainment Weekly. "At the height of the Cold War you've got a Russian and an American working together. How did that come about?" Cavill, for his part, quite enjoyed shooting with Grant and Hammer in London in the fall of 2013. "They're both wonderful people and a pleasure to work with," The Batman v Superman actor tells People. "Any funny stories I'm going to keep to myself, though. No telling tales out of school."
Hammer is just as tight-lipped about his time on set.
To prepare for his role as a Soviet spy—and to master a Russian accent, of course—the actor deadpans, "I moved to the Soviet Union for six years. It was time travel as well as location. The jet lag is a killer."
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. hits theaters Aug. 14.