After Clooney departed, is Bradley Cooper the new Man from UNCLE?

Last month, George Clooney dropped out of the starring role in Steven Soderbergh’s THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. leaving a big project without a big star. The studio quickly went out to both Johnny Depp and Matt Damon but both passed on the project. Not wanting to delay the March shoot date, Warner Bros. quickly snatched up one of their most profitable actors – Bradley Cooper.

Cooper, who has brought WB untold millions via both HANGOVER films, would star in Soderbergh’s adaptation of the mid-60s NBC spy series as U.N.C.L.E. agent Napoleon Solo. It’ll be a busy few months for the actor who is expected to begin work on both THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK for David O. Russell and PARADISE LOST for Alex Proyas before moving on to U.N.C.L.E. in March.

As for Soderbergh, U.N.C.L.E. is next on his list before his planned Liberace biopic for HBO that has Matt Damon and Michael Douglas attached to star. So much for retirement, huh?

While Cooper isn’t as proven as Clooney, Depp or Damon, he did open the otherwise vacant LIMITLESS to impressive numbers last year (and probably came at a much cheaper price than either of those previously named actors).