It looks like “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” may have found his woman.
Alicia Vikander has already made a strong impression with moviegoers in “Anna Karenina” and “A Royal Wedding,” but now the Swedish actress is in talks to play the female lead opposite Tom Cruise and Armie Hammer in Warner Bros.” long-delayed big-screen remake of the classic TV series “Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
Guy Ritchie (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Snatch”) will direct the film, based on the 1960s series, which centers on suave secret agent Napoleon Solo (Cruise) and Soviet agent Illya Kuryakin (Hammer). Robert Vaughn and David McCallum played the duo in the show.
In the movie version, Vikander will play a British agent, a new character who did not appear in the original series or in the spinoff, “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.”
“U.N.C.L.E.” was originally slated to star George Clooney with Steven Soderbergh directing. After Clooney left, the role was reportedly turned down by Johnny Depp and Matt Damon, with Bradley Cooper also rumored to be in the mix.
Vikander will next be seen in “The Seventh Son,” followed by the Wikileaks drama “The Fifth Estate.”