Season Two of The FBI coming to DVD

Season Two (1966-67) of Quinn Martin’s The FBI series starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is coming out this spring, according to the TV Shows on DVD Web site.

Some details:

Efrem Zimbalist Jr., star of The FBI

Last May the folks at the Warner Archive released an MOD (manufacture on demand) DVD set for The F.B.I. – The 1st Season, Part 1, and then followed it up quickly in August with their The F.B.I. – The 1st Season, Part 2 MOD set. Both titles, like many Warner Archive releases, were also made available from Amazon’s CreateSpace program, too.

The Warner Archive Collection team hasn’t announced this themselves, as it’s a bit earlier than they normally would do so. However, two new pre-order listings at Amazon.com show that MOD versions of “The F.B.I. – The 2nd Season, Part 1″ and “The F.B.I. – The 2nd Season, Part 2″ are in the works, with an availability date on both of them marked there for April 3rd.

Assuming this is all true (and the Web site has a good record of accuracy), that means a treasure trove of espionage-related episodes of the 1965-74 series will become available. They include Vendetta, where John Van Dreelan plays an ex-Nazi now spying for the Eastern Bloc; List For a Firing Squad, where The FBI and Eastern Bloc agents are after the same operative who has obtained a list of underground leaders in an unnamed Communist country; and The Assassin, where a very ordinary looking man turns out to be an assassin working for an Eastern country (and there’s a brief dig at James Bond).

Other highlights of the season include a two-part story, The Executioners, which was released by Warner Bros as a movie outside the U.S., with a guest cast that includes Walter Pidgeon, Robert Duvall, Susan Strasberg and Celeste Holm. (The FBI was a co-production of QM Productions and Warner Bros.)

UPDATE: On Feb. 7 Warner Archive made THIS TWEET about this post. It reads:

Rumors of Season Two of The FBI appearing at places like The HMSS Weblog – Oh Internet! http://bit.ly/xZOwa8

Not clear whether that’s a denial or a confirmation.

Guy Ritchie may direct U.N.C.L.E. movie, Deadline says

Guy Ritchie, the one-time Mr. Madonna, may end up directing a movie based on The Man From U.N.C.L.E, according to Nikki Finke’s Deadline entertainment news Web site.

Very brief excerpt:

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros is making a deal with Guy Ritchie and his new partner Lionel Wigram to come aboard The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the film that Steven Soderbergh left just recently over budget and difficulty with casting after George Clooney dropped out….The intention is for Ritchie to direct the film.

The 43-year-old Ritchie is a hot property after directing two Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Given the curse
that seems to hang over attempts to revive U.N.C.L.E. (created by Norman Felton and Ian Fleming, with writer-producer Sam Rolfe, who got a “developed by” credit, doing most of the heavy lifting), we can’t get very excited just yet.

UPDATE: Even if Ritchie actually ends up directing, don’t expect Robert Downey Jr. to play Napoleon Solo. The actor is developing a Perry Mason movie and is committed to reprising the title role in Iron Man III.

U.N.C.L.E. epilogue: Soderbergh finds a new project

Steven Soderbergh, who bailed out of directing a movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., has found a new project, according to THE WRAP entertainment news Web site.

Steven Soderbergh has signed on to direct a new thriller, “The Bitter Pill,” TheWrap has confirmed.

Scott Burns wrote the script and is also producing. Other producers include Soderbergh’s producing partner, Greg Jacobs, and Lorenzo di Bonaventura.

Soderbergh recently bailed out of an U.N.C.L.E. film project at Warner Bros., which also would have used a script by Burns. Soderbergh on the one hand says he wants to retire from filmmaking while jamming his schedule before that retirement begins. Anyway, presumably The Bitter Pill will take up the time he would have spent shooting U.N.C.L.E., (reportedly starting between mid-February and March), which would be before his final directing project, a made-for-HBO movie about Liberace.

UPDATE: It turns out THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER was first to report the news.

Warner Bros. still wants an U.N.C.L.E. film, The Wrap says

Warner Bros. hasn’t given up on making a movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. despite director Steven Soderbergh’s departure from the project, THE WRAP ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WEB SITE SAYS.

Quoting “an individual close to `U.N.C.L.E.’” (Napoleon Solo? Alexander Waverly? Maybe somebody less well know like George Dennell or Mandy Stevenson? It is a goofy attribution.), The Wrap’s Joshua L. Weinstein reports this:

The studio “doesn’t think there’s millions and millions of rabid ‘U.N.C.L.E’ fans out there, but they do recognize that the brand has some mythology to it,” the individual said. “It’s a major franchise they have wanted for over a decade now and a script they’re very happy with.”

The script is the one Scott Z. Burns did for Soderbergh. Color us skeptical because earlier in the story there’s this passage:

“This is a movie the studio was trying to make before Soderbergh was involved,” an individual close to “U.N.C.L.E.” told TheWrap. “If he is truly off, it’s hard to believe the studio won’t want to make it with someone else.”

*If* Soderbergh is truly off the project? Doesn’t the individual *close* to U.N.C.L.E. know? Or this is guesswork, educated or otherwise?

Wake us when the movie starts filming. Meanwhile, if you’re curious about our little joke in the second paragraph of this post, CLICK HERE and scroll down to episode 25, and CLICK HERE and scroll down to episode 48.

U.N.C.L.E. curse strikes again: Soderbergh drops out

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. curse strikes again. Director Steven Soderbergh has dropped out of a movie version of the 1964-68 series, THE PLAYLIST WEB SITE REPORTED.

With the studio already hemming and hawing over casting options, this week they delivered a low $60 million dollar budget proposal for what is supposed to be the first in a tentpole franchise threequel. Soderbergh felt the figure wasn’t enough for a ‘60s set period spy film that’s set on four continents, and with a March date looming, he could no longer wait for the studio to refine numbers or set cast, officially pulling out of the project.

We’ll have more to say later. Suffice to say this joins a long line of unsuccessful attempts to revive U.N.C.L.E. Thanks to our friends at Mister 8 for pointing this out to us.

Bradley Cooper drops out of U.N.C.L.E. movie

Bradley Cooper, whose talent agency had strongly pitched the actor’s services, won’t play Napoleon Solo in Steven Soderbergh’s movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the entertainment Web site The Wrap says.

You can read the story BY CLICKING HERE. It’s not very long, though. Here’s a key excerpt:

The “Hangover” actor who had been in talks to play the crime fighter Napoleon Solo in Warner Bros’. big-screen version of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” will not play the role, TheWrap has learned.

Steven Soderbergh is directing the movie, which is based on the 1960s television show. Cooper was in talks to play the role that Robert Vaughn made famous.

It’s hard to tell if this is a body blow to the U.N.C.L.E. movie project or if Warner Bros. and/or Soderbergh have a plan B (or C or D or E).

Soderbergh loses his Kuryakin, Whatculture! says

Steven Soderbergh, director of the upcoming movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., lost out on the chance to cast his preferred choice as Illya Kuryakin, according to the Web site Whatculture!

The key excerpt:

Steven Soderbergh met with Joel Kinnaman, the Swedish star of Snabba Cash and lead of The Killing, to discuss the role of Illya Kuryakin in his adaptation of the 60s spy show The Man From U.N.C.L.E. that is being turned into a large scale blockbuster at Warner Bros. Upon the meeting, Soderbergh made it known he wanted to cast the rising star but in the end Warner Bros have slotted him into co-leading another of their big money potential franchise starters.

According to the Whatculture! story, which you can read by BY CLICKING HERE, is a movie called Arthur & Lancelot, that starts filming in March.

In The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Russian agent Kuryakin was the Number Two of Section Two (Operations and Enforcement) of U.N.C.L.E., second only to American agent Napoleon Solo, a character created by Norman Felton and Ian Fleming, the latter, of course, the creator of James Bond.

Kuryakin, along with almost everyting else about U.N.C.L.E., was created by Sam Rolfe, who got a “developed by” credit on the show. Kuryakin’s popularity rivaled Solo’s. Many of Kuryakin’s characteristics were established by Alan Caillou, who wrote several episodes that helped develop the Kuryakin character. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum played Solo and Kuryakin in the original series.

The Whatculture! story mostly concerns itself with Kinnaman’s background and details about the Arthur & Lancelot movie project. In any case, no news yet on who McCallum’s successor as Kuryakin may be.

Michael Fassbender among actors considered for U.N.C.L.E., The Playlist says

With George Clooney out, there are lots of actors being considered (or at least mentioned) for the movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to be directed by Steven Soderbergh.

The Playlist Web site has a long list IN A LONG POST YOU CAN READ BY CLICKING HERE. A sampling:

Bear in mind (Warner Bros.) would like a franchise here, so younger actors have been more appealing than Clooney almost from day one. Soderbergh also has a Napoleon Solo in mind in “Haywire” co-star Michael Fassbender. While the quickly-rising star only shot a few days on “Haywire,” both director and actor shared a good experience working together on the set.

The post mentions a number of actors who might play either Solo or Illya Kuryakin. Among them: Joel Kinnaman, Ewan McGregor, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Reynolds, Chris Pine, Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jon Hamm, Russell Crowe and Robert Pattinson. Some of these are supposed to be Soderbergh’s preferences, the other being pushed by Warner Bros.

There’s more intriguing possibilities that have nothing to do with actors:

(If) Soderbergh isn’t fully satisfied with the way casting goes down, he can easily walk and prep “Liberace” instead, which will shoot sometime in the second half of 2012 with (Matt) Damon and Michael Douglas.

(snip)

While Soderergh won’t direct it, another interesting piece of the puzzle is that Soderbergh and (screenwriter Scott Z.) Burns have already mapped out an ‘U.N.C.L.E’ sequel plus have a tantalizing idea for a third film that we won’t yet reveal here.

The post says the U.N.C.L.E. movie is supposed to start filming on Feb. 14, 2012.

Fassbender has been the subject of speculation that he might succeed Daniel Craig as James Bond. Here’s the trailer for X-Men: First Class, where Fassbender played the future Magneto:

John Calley, studio exec involved with 007 re-launch, dies

John Calley, a one-time Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executive who was involved in getting 007 back on the screen, has died at 81, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Calley worked at MGM from 1993 to 1996, where his duties included being president of MGM’s United Artists brand. When he started, the James Bond film series was in hiatus and 007 film’s future was uncertain. Calley also, by various accounts, pressed for Eon Productions, which produces the Bond fils to recast Bond to Pierce Brosnan from Timothy Dalton. Calley’s name was prominent on the 1994 press release announcing Brosnan was taking over the role in GoldenEye.

According to a 2010 article in the Hollywood Reporter, Barbara Broccoli, co-boss at Eon, wasn’t a Calley fan. This excerpt quotes an unidentified person describing a meeting between Broccoli and Sony executives when that company’s Columbia Pictures was releasing 2008′s Quantum of Solace:

“Barbara said, ‘We generally like studio executives, but we don’t like assholes like John Calley,’ ” the source said.”

Calley also held executive positions at Warner Bros. and Sony, before retiring in 2003, according to the Los Angeles Times obit.

The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.’s 45th anniversary: a spinoff fails to take off

This week is the 45th anniversary for The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. Its failure to find an audience — it only lasted one season — is a reminder of what can happen when creators don’t especially believe in what they’re doing.

A spinoff of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., featurng a woman agent, was the idea of NBC. The wife of a network executive had even suggested a name for such an operative: Cookie Fortune. Norman Felton, the executive producer of The Man From From U.N.C.L.E., wasn’t keen on the notion. He counterproposed having two hour-long shows each week simply called U.N.C.L.E., where agents could be mixed and matched. NBC stood firm.

Girl’s pilot aired at a second-season episode of Man called The Moonglow Affair, scripted by Dean Hargrove. Hargrove passed on using Cookie Fortune as a name; he ended up going to Ian Fleming’s list of ideas for Man and used April Dancer (envisioned by Fleming as a Miss Moneypenny type character).

In Moonglow, Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) are incapacitated. April (Mary Ann Mobley) is assigned to take over the assignment, aided by a middle aged Mark Slate (Norman Fell). For the series, April was recast with Stefanie Powers and Slate was turned into a Brit in his 30s, with Noel Harrison in the role.

What happened next was a vicious cycle. By many accounts, Powers and Harrison couldn’t take the material seriously. Douglas Benton ordered scripts to take a lighter tone, figuring it would play to the strengths of Powers and Harrison. One of the crew was associate producer Max Hodge, who had written the first two Mr. Freeze stories on the 1966 Batman series.

Also, Felton & Co. weren’t comfortable having April actually fight guys (and absorb at least some punishment).
As a result, Slate’s Harrison had to take the beatings for two characters, making him look weaker. Meanwhile, ABC was importing episodes of the U.K.-produced The Avengers featuring Diana Rigg’s Mrs. Peel. April looked weak by comparison.

A light tone can work when 1) the jokes are funny and 2) the audience laughs with the hero. The problem with Girl is frequently the jokes weren’t funny and came at the expense of April Dancer and Mark Slate. Late in the season, Hargrove returned and wrote The Double-O-Nothing Affair. It was still light (Thrush villain Edward Asner’s base of operations is disguised as a used-car lot) but the jokes worked and April and Mark came across as capable and brave agents. Perhaps Hargrove had invested enough in the character of April Dancer to try to make it work.

Too little, too late. Girl was canceled in the spring of 1967 and an opportunity was lost. The show is now on DVD. Here’s a clip from what may be the worst episode of the series, The Paradise Lost Affair, in which the supposedly professionally trained April looks weak against villain Genghis Gomez VIII (Monte Landis). Warner Bros. uploaded this clip to YouTube to try to get people to buy the DVDs. Oops.