It would appear that the proposed new version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. didn't quite end with the Steven Soderbergh film which petered out after it lost George Clooney as the lead. Now there's talk of a new production, of a new director and of a new star.

The names being mentioned are all big names too, and the change of director does suggest something much more action and visual orientated.

It would seem that the big news is that Tom Cruise is being looked to in order to lead the film and that means we're in line for a big budget spectacular. While that's interesting news I don't think it's the biggest of the story, for that comes in the shape of the director.

Guy Ritchie is now confirmed as the man who will take up the seat behind the camera for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. according to the story through Deadline and The Guardian. Back in December of 2011 we had heard that Ritchie and Lionel Wigram were in negotiations to develop the new version of the film

The original series of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law Enforcement) had Robert Vaughn and David McCallum playing secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, fighting against the equally secret organisation T.H.R.U.S.H. - mmm - the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity.

I'm rather excited by the prospect of Ritchie directing Cruise, it would make for an interesting pairing much as it did with Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr., I wonder though what will be made of the material? How will Cruise cope with it and will it turn into another huge franchise for him or just be a one off big budget spectacular?

Ritchie's name does suggest that there will still be a comedic feel to the story, much as there was with the original, but does that see like something that Tom Cruise would be a part of?