More than a decade after Warner Bros.' The Man from UNCLE's release, questions are still being asked about whether a sequel, The Man from UNCLE 2, could be released.
2015 saw Guy Ritchie direct a reboot of the hit 1960s spy series featuring stars like Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) and Elizabeth Debicki (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3).
The film centers on two agents from the CIA and KGB having to put aside their differences during the Cold War to stop an enemy who threatens both of them, going on a mission to find a missing German scientist through his daughter.
Upon its release, this outing floundered at the box office by grossing only $110 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo) and currently holds a 68% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Prospects of The Man from UNCLE 2's Release
Over the years, the cast and crew of The Man from UNCLE have shared their thoughts on potentially releasing a sequel, displaying a desire to do it.
When asked about the idea by Glamour in August 2015 after the original film debuted, star Henry Cavill had not heard anything about it being greenlit but said he and the team would "love to do it."
Per SlashFilm in 2017, star Armie Hammer had mentioned calling producer/writer Lionel Wigram about doing another movie. According to Hammer, he and Wigram were enthusiastic about getting a sequel written at the time:
"I called Lionel Wigram, the producer of the movie, and he and Guy produced it and wrote it all together. I was like, 'Dude, what's the deal? I get asked about this shit all the time. Can you just write a sequel?' He was like, 'You know what? Yeah, f*** it, I'll do it. Sure, I'll write a sequel.' I was like, 'If you write one, I'm sure we can get one made,' so who knows? Today is the first day I've actually told anyone that story. I only told one other person who asked. Apparently, the sequel is being written right now. No pressure, Lionel!"
Hammer remained passionate about getting The Man from UNCLE 2 made, telling Collider in 2018 how much fun it was to work with Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Cavill, and Ritchie. He mentioned "throwing ideas around" with Wigram whenever they would meet:
"We’ll see. Every time I sit down with Lionel Wigram, who was one of the writers and also the producer of the film, we start throwing ideas around. 'What about this?' 'Well, what about that?' It’s that kind of thing. That was a fun [movie] to make. Working with Guy [Ritchie] was great. Doing that whole ‘60s spy thing was fun. Lionel was great. Alicia [Vikander] is fantastic. Henry [Cavill] is great, and Elizabeth Debicki. Everyone who worked on that was a lot of fun. If we’re able to get a great script and get it all locked in, then I can’t imagine anyone involved not going, 'Yeah, that was a lot of fun! I’d love to do that again!'"
Speaking with Collider again in 2020, Hammer was still eager to get the movie made, saying he would "narrate it" and that he would get any "extremely good piece of fanfic" to those in charge to see what could happen:
"I would do another 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' in a heartbeat. Like, in a heartbeat. If someone wrote a really good piece of fanfic, I'd narrate it. If someone wrote an extremely good piece of fanfic, I would make sure it got to fuckin' Guy and Lionel and be like, 'You guys need to read this, and then give this person co-writing credit, 'cause let's just get this movie made, let's just do this.'"
Will The Man from UNCLE 2 Release?
Although there are plenty of The Man from UNCLE fans, the chances of it moving forward into The Man from UNCLE 2 are highly unlikely. The biggest reason is financial, as the original barely broke $100 million at the box office in 2015.
Next up on that list of reasons is the controversy surrounding star Armie Hammer.
In January 2021, an anonymous Instagram user shared what she claimed to be text messages Hammer sent to multiple women detailing dark sexual fantasies and referencing cannibalism. That same woman (per The Hollywood Reporter) claimed that Hammer raped her.
That month (per The Hollywood Reporter), his ex-wife Courtney Vucekovich detailed the emotional abuse she suffered when they were together, which led her to go to the hospital with severe PTSD.
While Hammer has addressed those issues in the years after the accusations, he has not appeared on-screen since 2022's Death on the Nile and has no projects booked.
Additionally, Ritchie has a busy schedule ahead of him as he is the writer of In the Grey, set for a January 17, 2025 debut. He is also directing the upcoming Fountain of Youth for Apple TV+, which started filming in February 2024.
The Man from UNCLE is available for purchase via most online retailers and is streaming on Netflix.
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