When we reported yesterday that Joel Edgerton was considering starring in the 300 prequel Battle of Artemisia, it turned out that was only half of the story. Vulture has amended their previous report to add that Warner Bros. has also offered him the lead role in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Steven Soderbergh's still-developing adaptation of the 60s TV spy show. Soderbergh lost George Clooney as a lead when the actor decided he was simply too old to take on the action-heavy role, and with Edgerton-- star of Warrior and The Thing-- he's at least found a guy with the youth and brawn to pull it off.
Really, the U.N.C.L.E. role sounds much better suited to a rising star like Edgerton-- it's the chance to star in a movie and create a character most of the audience won't remember from the original series, and most importantly, it gets him working with a prestigious director anyone would jump at the chance to work with. You may remember hearing that Bradley Cooper was weighing a role in the film, and that's still true-- the original series focused on two characters, American Napoleon Solo and Russian Ilya Kuryakin, and Cooper may still play Solo, while Edgerton could play Kuryakin. Cooper is apparently waiting to see who will play Kuryakin before signing on, and we don't really know if Edgerton is what he has in mind-- but why shouldn't it be? They're both up-and-comers but Cooper is clearly the more famous one, so he could have the opportunity to bounce off a talented actor his own age without having to worry about who's #1 on the call sheet.
I have my doubts that Edgerton, his agent, or anyone in a position of power on these things is reading, but just in case: Do U.N.C.LE., Joel! Forget the screaming loincloths of the 300 prequel! Thank me later!
