Tom Cruise Ditches “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” Project, Becomes One Of Many Stars To Quit The Film

Tom Cruise has officially dropped out of the film adaption of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," according to Deadline.com. Tom Cruise ditched the starring role because of scheduling conflicts with "Mission: Impossible 5," which he signed on to earlier this month.

Cruise now joins a whole roster of celebrity actors who were associated with the role before dropping out. The project was formulated in November 2010 as a Steven Soderbergh film starring George Clooney, according to The Huffington Post. Clooney left the project due to a back injury. Soderbergh searched for his replacement and flirted with names like Johnny Depp, Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, and Michael Fassbender. Soderbergh eventually left the project in November 2011. Warner Bros. substituted Soderbergh with Guy Ritchie to direct the project one month later.

The question is: who will be next to replace Tom Cruise in the lead role?

The project is a big-screen adaption of the former TV series from Warner Bros. The series ran from 1964 to 1968, The Huffington Post reports.

In the original series, Robert Vaughan and David McCallum play Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, two agents of the United Network Command for Law Enforcement. The pair use their gadgets, wit, and charm to  fight the evil forces of Thrush in the cult television series.

Armie Hammer is also starring in the film adaption of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."