The genre of spy movies has grown exponentially over the years, with most of the popular spy films, like James Bond or Mission: Impossible for example, getting their stories from books or previous television shows. These spy movies attract loyal audiences who are looking for just the right amount of epic action sequences mixed into a story with substance and great detail. But why are these movies so popular? The National Post noted way back in 2015, "That fascination stems partly from the crowd-pleasing way the tribulations of the cloaked and daggered naturally lend themselves to cinematic stakes: life and death, international intrigue, government secrets, false identities, double crosses. In other words, it provides ideal escapism."
One such movie is 2015's The Man From U.N.C.L.E., which was written and directed by Guy Ritchie and released in 2015. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.is based on the 1964 television series of the same name. Set in the 1960, the movie tells a classic spy-craft story about a CIA agent named Napoleon Solo and a KGB operative named Illya Kuryakin, who must work together on a mission to stop a strange crime syndicate from procuring nuclear weapons.
Despite being considered a box office bomb, earning only $107 million on its $75-84 million budget, the film actually earned seven award wins and has gained a loyal fan following. Since it has been almost 10 years since the film was released, here is what the amazingly talented cast is doing today, including details on their most recent or upcoming projects.
Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill portrays one of the lead characters, Solo, in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. Since the film's conclusion, Cavill resumed his role as Clark Kent / Superman from Man of Steel in Batman vs. Superman Dawn of Justice and The Justice League. He also portrayed Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes and Enola Holmes 2, as well as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher television series adaptation.
Despite recent changes within DC Studios' leadership, including the loss of his Superman role, Cavill has a multitude of projects in the works. These include voice work for the Squadron 42 video game and roles in the films The Rosie Project, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Argylle, and a yet to be titled Guy Ritchie movie. Cavill is also rumored to be in the upcoming Highlander movie.
Armie Hammer
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In The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Armie Hammer portrays the other main character, Illya. Following this role, Hammer had roles in a multitude of movies and television shows, including The Birth of a Nation, Nocturnal Animals, On the Basis of Sex, We Are Who We Are, Crisis, and Death on the Nile. Sadly, at the time of this writing Hammer's future projects are unknown.
Alicia Vikander
After portraying Gaby Teller in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Alicia Vikander went on to showcase her talents in films like The Danish Girl, Jason Bourne, and The Green Light, as well as in the television series, Irma Vep. She even played the lead character, Lara Croft, in 2018's Tomb Raider reboot. In 2023, Vikander stars in Firebrand, a historical drama film that follows Queen Catherine Parr and Henry VIII's marriage. Her future projects in pre-production, at the time of this writing, include Hope and Origin of Species.
Elizabeth Debicki
Elizabeth Debicki plays Victoria Vinciguerra in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and after that performance, she went on to star in a number of movies such as Everest, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and the Peter Rabbit movies (voicing Mopsy).
Debicki also had roles in the television series The Night Manager and The Kettering Incident. Her most recent work was as the acclaimed Princess Diana in the TV series, The Crown. Debicki's upcoming work includes three prominent films: Andorra, Farnsworth House, and MaXXXine, which are all in pre-production at the time of this writing.
Sylvester Groth
German-born actor Sylvester Groth portrayed Uncle Rudi in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. after which his career continued to flourish. Following the film's conclusion, Groth had roles in films and television series like Police Call 110, Fargo, Duetschland, Berlin, I Love You, German Crime Story, and even The 355. Groth most recently appeared in the TV series Unwanted as Klaus. He is also set to appear in the Russian film The Trouble with Jessica in late-2023.
Christian Berkel
As Udo in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Christian Berkel portrayed the classic archetype of a rocket scientist who has been forced to work with unsavory characters. Following this role, the German-born actor went on to star in a number of films and television series. These included resuming his role in the television series Der Kriminalist, portraying Johnathon Roth in the television movie Redemption Road, starring as Richard Diemer is the TV series Beat, and most recently portraying Eric Behr in 2023's Black Box. Berkel's only known upcoming project is the film Le Petit Blond de la Casbah, which is currently in pre-production at the time of this writing.
Luca Calvani
Following his role as Alexander, the main antagonist and overall villain in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Italian-born actor Luca Calvani went on to have roles in films and television series such as Wrobiony, The Durrells, Poised, and Drift. His most recent role was in the 2023 film In the Fire where he portrayed Father Antonio alongside Amber Heard. Sadly, at the time of this writing, Calvani has no known upcoming films or television roles.
Jared Harris
Jared Harris is probably most known for his work on Mad Men and The Crown. After his portrayal of Sanders in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Harris went on to star in the television series The Expanse, The Terror, Chernobyl, and Carnival Row, as well as the films Allied, Outside, and Morbius. He has most recently voiced Merlin in Episode 17 of Season 17 of American Dad! and starred in the television series Foundation as Hari Seldon. Harris' upcoming projects include the movies Reawakening, Brave the Dark, and Rothko, as well as being set to resume his role as Professor James Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes 3.
Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant played the part of Waverly in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and then went on to continue an already-massively popular career. He has since had a number of influential roles such as Phoenix Buchanan in Paddington 2, the Red Nose Day shorts, Jeremy Thorpe in A Very English Scandal, the Death to 2020 and Death to 2021 films, as well as starring in 2022's Glass Onion as Phillip.
Most recently in 2023, Grant starred in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves as Forge. His future projects include the films Heretic, Unfrosted, and The Regime, as well as the much anticipated Wonka, where he's already made waves for portraying the legendary Oompa Loompas.