How the U.N.C.L.E. movie changes character backgrounds

U.N.C.L.E. movie poster

A little more than a week before its debut, the official website of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie provides a few details about the new backgrounds of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin.

SOLO’S BACKGROUND now is this:

This top American CIA Special Agent honed his unique skill set dealing stolen art and antiquities on the black market after WWII. It took four nations to catch the super-suave Solo. But instead of serving time, he’s now servicing the CIA.

KURYAKIN’S BACKGROUND now is this:

A dedicated Russian KGB agent, he was the youngest to join its Special Forces and among its best in three years. Despite his heightened abilities and single-minded focus, this generally stoic operative has a volatile side.

There’s also THIS BIO for Gaby Teller, the “innocent” of the film:

Daughter of a vanished German rocket scientist, this whip-smart East Berlin auto mechanic becomes part of the KGB and CIA’s joint efforts to prevent world catastrophe, as their key to infiltrating the international criminal organization holding her father and stopping their plans to proliferate nuclear weapons.

And there’s THIS BIO of the villain of the piece:

A lethal combo of brains, beauty and calculated ambition, Victoria rose from humble beginnings to marry the playboy heir to the Vinciguerra Shipping Company. While her husband is out playing tycoon and making the racing circuit, she’s running his Rome-based empire. A nasty piece of business all around.

Finally, here’s the DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW WAVERLY:

Debonair and unassuming at first glance, Waverly ultimately reveals himself as a significant power broker in the spy business with more than a few things to teach Solo and Kuryakin.

Of those descriptions, the one for Waverly may be the least changed from the original 1964-68 series, despite the fact the part is played by Hugh Grant (who turned 53 during filming of the movie) while the original was played by Leo G. Carroll, who was in his 70s during the series.