One of the writers behind The Man From U.N.C.L.E. has quite literally said “fuck it” and decided to work on a sequel to the critically appreciated, but financially unsuccessful Guy Ritchie film. That’s according to star Armie Hammer, who explained in an interview with /Film that he essentially goaded Lionel Wigram—who cowrote the adaptation of the classic TV series with Ritchie—into getting started on a follow-up. “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, fuck it, I’ll do it. Sure, I’ll write a sequel,’” Hammer explained. “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!”
Upon reviewing the movie in 2015, The A.V. Club wrote that it “feels fun even when it lacks a particular reason for existing.” Indeed that inessential quality may have been why it only grossed $45 million domestically, though it did slightly better overseas, collecting $64 million. Talk of the repeat adventures of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin seem awfully preliminary, but at least Hammer is super excited about it.