Steven Soderbergh may direct U.N.C.L.E. movie, Hollywood Reporter says

After months of no news, the Hollywood Reporter says Steven Soderbergh may end up directing a proposed movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

According to the Reporter’s story (WHICH YOU CAN READ BY CLICKING HERE), there’s a bit of musical chairs involved. In addition to Sonderberg being in talks to direct, some other moves may occur:

Scott Z. Burns, who wrote Soderbergh’s The Informant and the director’s upcoming medical thriller Contagion, is negotiating to come aboard as writer.

Warners (Bros.) has been working on a big-screen adaptation of the U.N.C.L.E. TV series since the 1990s, most recently with Max Borenstein writing a script as a directing vehicle for David Dobkin.

The Borenstein script was considered strong by Warners, but Dobkin is now moving to the role of producer, along with John Davis, and Burns will write a new script.

Is this progress? Soderberg is a name director, including 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven and its two sequels. Whether he’s a *big enough* name to geneate life into the project remains to be seen. Still, there’s an appetite for reboots of 1960s spy/adventure shows. We’ve already had a movie version of Get Smart and the new Hawaii Five-0 has been a success for CBS, which now wants a new take on The Wild, Wild West.

George Clooney, an actor who’s worked with Soderberg, has been imagined as a possible movie Napoleon Solo. Clooney, at 49, may be too old for the role now; he’d be almost as old as Robert Vaughn was in 1983’s The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. made-for-TV movie, in which Solo came out of retirement. Still, some people have done more than just dream, as evidenced by this YouTube video:

UPDATE: The Playlist Web site says Soderbergh may be looking to work with Clooney and have the film be a 1960s period piece. You can read that story BY CLICKING HERE.

Matt Damon disses 007

Matt Damon, star of the Bourne films, gave an interview to the Miami Herald. He’s definitely not a James Bond fan. He also indicates that director Steven Sonderberg also took took a pass when offered a chance by Eon to helm a Bond production.

From the article:

”They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the Bourne films,” Damon says scornfully. “Because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He’s repulsive.

“Steve [Soderbergh, who produced yet another of Damon’s spy movies, Syriana] told me that years ago he was offered a Bond movie. He told them he’d do it if they gave him creative control. Absolutely not, they said. They have a formula, they stick to it, and it makes them a lot of money. They know what they’re doing, and they’re going to keep doing it.”

For the entire article, click RIGHT HERE.

Meanwhile at the film blog of the Guardian, the question is posed whether Damon (who’s committed to doing a fourth Bourne movie) is throwing stones from a glass house given the Bourneification of the 007 franchise.

For that article, just click RIGHT HERE.