Haywire Gets a (New) Release Date

This is at least the third release date (and second distributor, and second title) that we've seen mooted for Steven Soderbergh's spy thriller Haywire (which was once called Knockout and scheduled for a January 2011 release from Lionsgate)... but the first one backed up with an actual press release, so let's assume it's for real this time. Relativity Media announced last week that it has retained North American rights to theatrically distribute its action thriller Haywire, directed by Soderbergh and starring MMA fighter Gina Carano. The film is now set for a January 20, 2012 wide release, aiming for the some of the same action movie gold that Taken mined in 2009. Neither the change in studios nor the change in dates reflects on the quality of the picture. Lionsgate was a distribution partner before Relativity structured its own distribution arm, which it naturally wanted to flex given the opportunity; Lionsgate’s Mandate International is still handling foreign rights. As for pushing the film back to next year, that gives Soderbergh the opportunity to promote it during his press tour for Contagion, a great big, star-studded virus thriller with Matt Damon made after Haywire, but set for release before it (now), this fall.

Carano (who was also part of the recent version of American Gladiators) makes her feature film debut, starring and performing her own "high-adrenaline stunts." Since Carano's unproven as a movie star, Soderbergh backed her up with an impressive cast including Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer), Channing Tatum (GI Joe: Rise of Cobra), Antonio Banderas (Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever), Bill Paxton (True Lies), Michael Douglas (Shining Through) and newly-minted spy superstar Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class).

The press release offers what I think is the first official synopsis of the film, and I was impressed that they managed to squeeze in "espionage," "betrayal," "covert ops," "international operatives," "double-crossed" and "Agency" in one sentence! Now that's a movie made for me! Observe: "In Haywire, an electrifying tale of espionage and betrayal, a female covert ops specialist (Carano), who works in the deadly world of international operatives, strikes back after discovering she’s been double-crossed by someone close to her in the agency. The film is produced by Gregory Jacobs (Ocean’s Trilogy) and written by Lem Dobbs (The Limey)." Furthermore, they manage to use the word "sophistication" in conjunction with an action movie starring an MMA fighter, in a quote from Relativity’s President of Worldwide Production, Tucker Tooley: “We are honored to be working with Steven Soderbergh on this project. This film is full of amazing action sequences, and with a sophistication only Soderbergh can deliver.”

Soderbergh's next spy assignment is supposedly a feature film version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. starring George Clooney, but I'll believe it when I actually see it...

Steven Soderbergh Confirms Involvement in Man From U.N.C.L.E. Movie

While talking to the radio show Studio 360 (via Hollywood Reporter), director Steven Soderbergh appeared to confirm his involvement in the feature film version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  "Liberace [a biopic with Matt Damon] and Man From U.N.C.L.E. are the only two things I'm obligated to do," the director said in a discussion of his much-mooted impending retirement.  (He confirmed that rumor, too... but only up to a point, claiming that "the tyranny of narrative is just starting to really wear on me."  It seems like he's burnt out right now, but he doesn't rule out returning to Hollywood in the future, and it sounds like he might continue to make more artistic independents anyway.)  Soderbergh's involvement with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. has been whispered about since a Hollywood Reporter story last November reported that the director was "in talks" for the project.  But this is the first time I've seen it confirmed from the horse's mouth, so to speak.  He also confirms George Clooney's involvement (which has been widely rumored for nearly as long), and doesn't contradict host Kurt Anderson when Anderson surmises that Clooney will be playing Napoleon Solo, the titular spy originated on the Sixties TV show by Robert Vaughn.  Even in the stories about Clooney's attachment, I hadn't seen it actually said by anyone official that he would definitely be playing Solo, though that's what most people assumed.  He could have conceivably been boss Mr. Waverly or an entirely new character.

Soderbergh's next spy movie, Haywire, starring MMA fighter Gina Carano, Michael Douglas, Ewan  McGregor and Michael Fassbender (among many others) is currently scheduled to open in August, after bouncing around quite a lot.  Filming was completed some time ago.  A few set photos from Haywire (showing Carano in a wetsuit beating up McGregor on a beach) leaked today, and you can see them on Collider.

Event Reminder: Stefanie Powers In Santa Monica Tonight

As previously reported, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. herself, Stefanie Powers, will appear in person tonight (Thursday, December 2) at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica for a screening of her Hammer movie Die! Die! My Darling and Blake Edwards' Experiment in Terror (which also features The Wild Wild West star Ross Martin as a bad guy). Experiment in Terror starts at 7:30 followed by a discussion with Powers; the Hammer film screens after that.  Prior to the event, Powers will sign copies of her new memoir, One From the Heart, at Every Picture Tells A Story across the street from the theater.

Reminder: Pierce Brosnan In Person Tonight In Santa Monica
Also: Upcoming April Dancer Appearance!

Tonight (Saturday, November 20) is the previously reported screening of The Ghost Writer (review here) and The Matador with Pierce Brosnan in person at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.  The films start at 7:30 and Brosnan speaks between the two movies.  The American Cinematheque, who runs the theater, bills the event as "an in person tribute that includes two of Brosnan's finest performances." This event is positioned to raise Brosnan's profile with Academy voters in hopes of well-deserved Best Supporting Actor consideration for his standout work in The Ghost Writer, but it also provides fans with a great opportunity to see the former James Bond in person. Tickets are sold out through Fandango, but a few were still available at the theater's box office as of yesterday.

The Aero continues its proud tradition of hosting spy stars in person next month when The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. herself, Stefanie Powers, stops by to attend a screening of her Hammer movie Die! Die! My Darling and Blake Edwards' Experiment in Terror on Thursday, December 2.

George Clooney Looking To Be Soderbergh's Man From U.N.C.L.E.?

Film to be set in the Sixties!

The Playlist reports (via AICN) that George Clooney is (unsurprisingly, I guess, given their history of collaboration) circling the Steven Soderbergh-helmed incarnation of Warners' long-in-development Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie that we first heard about yesterday.  And, more excitingly, the website also reports that Soderbergh plans to retain the TV show's 1960s setting!  The Playlist seems like a fairly reliable source when it comes to Soderbergh; they were the ones who first reported that his upcoming spy movie had changed its title from Knockout to Haywire and that it had been delayed until next spring.  The Sixties setting really, really excites me!  I hope this movie is serious(ish) and not a parody, because I would love to see a modern action movie set in that period.  We've already had great parodies in the form of the two recent OSS 117 films, but could Matthew Vaughn's upcoming Sixties-set (and Avengers-inspired) X-Men prequel foretell a new trend of period action movies?  I sure hope so! 

George Clooney's potential attachment excites me less than the time period.  Don't get me wrong; I love Clooney, and I'd love to see him play a superspy.  But he's really too old to be Napoleon Solo.  (He's almost as old as Robert Vaughn was in the reunion movie The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair!)  I'd much rather see Clooney play Matt Helm.  Of course, just because he's planning to star in the movie doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be playing Napoleon Solo.  After all, Tom Cruise starred in Mission: Impossible, but he wasn't Jim Phelps.  I doubt that Clooney is signing up to be Mr. Waverly, but I suppose it's possible that he could be another U.N.C.L.E. agent or, if this movie really is, as The Playlist asserts, taking U.N.C.L.E. back to "its roots," perhaps a mentor to a younger Solo and Kuryakin.  Anything is possible at this point.  What I do like about a potential Clooney/Soderbergh team-up is that it would seem to indicate a tone along the lines of their Ocean's 11 remake, which I think would be pretty appropriate for The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  And if Clooney really is playing a fifty-year-old Solo, well, that's not that bad.  There are much worse choices out there!  (And he certainly proved in The American that he's in top physical shape for his age.)

Previous Clooney/Soderbergh spy collaborations include The Good German (which I remember liking quite a lot, but needed to re-read my review to remember anything that actually happened in it!), Syriana and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.  (Soderbergh didn't direct the latter two, but they were produced through his and Clooney's Section 8 Films.)  At one point, they had hoped to team up on a Matt Helm movie more in keeping with the Dean Martin movies than the serious Donald Hamilton novels, and I believe that was also meant to be Sixties-set.  Clooney's most recent spyish movie was The American (review here).  Bear in mind that while a script is being written by Scott Z. Burns based on Soderbergh's take, nothing is yet set in stone about this Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie, and plenty of other incarnations over the years have fallen by the wayside.

Tradecraft: Steven Soderbergh In Talks To Direct The Man From U.N.C.L.E.!

Between The Informant! and the upcoming Haywire (formerly titled Knockout), Steven Soderbergh has gotten quite a taste of directing spy movies.  And, apparently, he likes it! According to The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog, the Ocean's 11 mastermind is "in early talks to take over directing duties on the long-in-development film The Man From U.N.C.L.E. at Warner Bros."  Soderbergh marks a return to the long history of indy auteurs attaching themselves to this looong-in-development film adaptation of the classic Sixties TV show.  At various times, both Quentin Tarantino and Matthew Vaughn have flirted with the material.  More recently, Wedding Crashers' David Dobkin (who, despite his indy origins, seemed like the odd man out in that line-up) was involved, briefly to direct and then as a producer.  Apparently, he's still attached to produce.  Even when Dobkin was on board to helm, though, we heard the approach was going to be a fairly serious one; however the trade's story today would seem to contradict that, indicating that Dobkin and writer Max Borenstein were expected to deliver an action-comedy take.  Personally, I was not against Dobkin directing, because I really, really enjoyed his action-comedy Shanghai Knights, but his more recent fair like Fred Claus had me a bit concerned.  Steven Soderbergh seems like a much more reliable choice. 

Soderbergh, however, as Heat Vision's Borys Kit points out, doesn't bring with him any one specific signature tone.  He could turn in a light and breezy U.N.C.L.E. movie, along the lines of his Ocean's 11 franchise, or he could give us a gritty, Casino Royale-like take, more akin to Traffic.  There's no way of knowing, but he is, apparently (and despite the studio being pleased with Borenstein's draft), concocting a whole new script with writer Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), which whom he's recently collaborated on both The Informant! and the upcoming Contagion.  I, for one, would love to see an U.N.C.L.E. movie along the lines of Soderbergh's first Ocean's 11: not out-and-out comedic, but definitely fun.  That would be perfectly in keeping with the show's best season, the second one.  A more serious approach akin to the first wouldn't go amiss, but you definitely don't want to risk veering into slapstick Season 3 territory! 

Tradecraft: The U.N.C.L.E. Rights Affair

Remember just a few scant years ago when The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was still conspicuously absent on DVD?  Fans clamored for it forever, it seemed, before we finally got word that it would come out in season sets from Anchor Bay, and that Robert Vaughn and David McCallum had recorded new commentary tracks for the release.  It was very exciting.  Then that excitement was quickly dashed when Warner Bros. took the wind out of Anchor Bay's sails by issuing a cease-and-desist on the project, and asserting that they owned the rights to the classic spy series.  (It was particularly frustrating at the time, because then they didn't seem to have any plans to actually do anything with those rights.  Obviously that situation changed when they put out a really excellent and feature-laden collection through Time-Life a few years later.)  Well, all's well that ends well, and we all kind of forgot about that Anchor Bay situation when the official release happened.  But I always kind of wondered what went on there, and how a major distributor could be duped into thinking they had the rights to such a major license when they didn't.  (And what happened to those commentaries!)  Now we have some of those answers, thanks to a story in yesterday's Hollywood Reporter. 

According to the trade, "a Los Angeles jury has awarded $7.3 million to Anchor Bay Entertainment from a woman who was accused of selling rights to the classic TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. that she didn't own. Lindsay Dunlap and her Ember Entertainment were on trial for fraud and breaching a 2005 contract with Anchor Bay."  Apparently the fact that she could produce the masters and "footage for DVD extras" was enough to convince Anchor Bay she was on the level, and the company paid her $625,000.  Obviously, they've now been recompensated and then some.  But my biggest question remains: what happened to those commentaries that Anchor Bay recorded, and will they ever see the ligh of day?

Bargain Alert: One Day Super Sale On The Man From U.N.C.L.E.!

Amazon is offering The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series for less than half price as their Deal of the Day today!  Today's price is just $85.49 for the complete series–57% off the list price of $199.92 and half of what it was yesterday–the regular Amazon price of $170.99.  But if you're missing this crucial piece of any complete spy collection, and have been patiently waiting for the price to drop this low, you better strike quickly!  This offer is good only today, July 15.  Tomorrow it will be regular price again.  And, yes, what we're talking about here is the awesome attache case-shaped box originally offered as an even costlier Time-Life exclusive, containing all four seasons of the seminal Robert Vaughn/David McCallum series along with copious, copious extras.  It's a really good set.  Get it, and watch it before the dubious Hollywood movie version comes out!  Hurry!

Man From U.N.C.L.E. Movie Update

The LA Times' movie blog, 24 Frames (via Bish's Beat), has a story today about the current status of the long in development Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie.  Last we heard (a few months ago), screenwriter Max Borenstein had been tapped to take a crack at the script and David Dobkin (Shanghai Knights) was attached to direct.  Dobkin was a bit of a surprise as he's most readily associated with comedies like Wedding Crashers and Fred Claus.  Now 24 Frames' Steven Zeitchik reveals that Dobkin will not be directing, only producing.  That means that the search is on for a director.  Zeitchik says that Doug Liman is at the top of Warners' wish list... but of course he is.  The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith director (whose upcoming Fair Game The Hollywood Reporter says "might be one of the best spy movies ever") is at the top of a lot of wish lists, and currently attached to at least two other high-profile projects, so his involvement seems unlikely.  (Too bad.  I'd be happy to see him direct U.N.C.L.E.)  So the big news here is that Dobkin is not directing, and not who is.  The other big news is a report on the tone of the project.  According to Zeitchik, the script is "said to be a commercial action thriller with some comedic touches, but not the other way around."  Excellent!  Exactly how it should be.  More Season 1 than Season 3.