Jared Harris talks briefly about his U.N.C.L.E. role

Jared Harris

Thanks to @LaneyBoggs2001 on Twitter for the heads up.

Actor Jared Harris gave an an interview to the Latino Review website where, at the very end, he provided a tiny bit of information about his role in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie.

Latino-Review: And just real quick, who are you playing in “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.?”

Jared Harris: I play a CIA agent who is initially involved in training and running Napoleon Solo. So it’s running him as a spy as you would like. It’s set in the 60s and it’s a Guy Ritchie film. It has a great mixture of action and comedy. And there’s fantastic plotting.

That’s all there is. Harris did his filming in September with both Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, who play Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin in the film, which will be released in January 2015.

Warner Bros. has previously specified that in the movie Solo is a CIA agent who becomes involved in a joint operation with KGB operative Kuryakin. The original 1964-68 series played down such Cold War references. A first-season episode, The Neptune Affair, included a brief scene where David McCallum’s Kuryakin is seen in a military uniform in the Soviet Union.

Such scenes were more the exception than the rule. Other references were more subtle. Another first-season episode, The Love Affair, depicted Kuryakin telling Robert Vaughn’s Solo, “Suddenly, I feel very Russian” as the two approach a mansion on Long Island.

Blofeld back again (for the very first time)?

We are smack dab in the middle of the “silly season” for James Bond fans: that time between when a new 007 picture is shaping up for production, and the time when definite details are released by the studio. Rumors and speculation abound. This particular rumor got our attention, however. Latino Review.com is a site well-known and respected for its credibility. They don’t get everything right every time, but they get more things right more often

Telly Savalas as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE -- 1969. Graphic by Paul Baack.

than other movie news sites. (They were the first to review the Casino Royale screenplay, alerting the world that we had a new classic James Bond movie aborning.) They have deep and well-placed sources…

The title of Gig Patta’s article pretty much says it all: Bond 23 Scriptwriter John Logan Hints Blofeld as Villain in New Movie. Logan, brought in to polish-up Neal Purvis & Rob Wade’s script, hinted — or perhaps joked — to a BAFTA Screenwriters lecture that “Bond should always fight Blofeld.” Which, when you think about it, is an odd thing to say. The character of Ernst Stavro Blofeld has been missing from the Cinèma du Jamesbonderie since 1983 (1971 if you want to get all canonical on us,) and doesn’t have much resonance for the Brosnan/Craig generation of fans. So, in our humble opinion, his choice of words were oddly specific. And, since this is the rebooted series, there’s no logical reason the earlobe-less one couldn’t show up, SPECTRE in tow. It’s a fun idea to contemplate.

Donald Pleasance as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE -- 1967. Graphic by Paul Baack.

The HMSS Weblog… Your Source for Unfounded Rumors and Baseless Speculation! You’re welcome.