Steven Soderbergh drops out of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

After all sorts of casting changeups, Stephen Soderbergh has officially left the upcoming Man from U.N.C.L.E. adaptation. Soderbergh cites continued clashes between Warner Brothers and himself over casting and budgeting as the reason for departure. Looking over the history of the project, it’s really no wonder he’s leaving. Since coming onto the project in early 2010, Warner Brothers has shown unwilling to come to an agreement on central casting, scheduling has kicked talented actors like George Clooney and Matt Damon out of the main seat, and WB maintained that $60 million was supposed to be enough for the start of a large spy franchise set all across the world.

I’m no major fan of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or anything, but this is a real shame. Soderbergh’s Ocean’s movies are prime examples of the kind of movies the director makes when he’s just having a good time with a great cast, and I was hoping to see something in that vein. WB has not offered any word of a replacement for Soderbergh, and it’s likely Soderbergh will move on to his supposedly-final project before retirement, his Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra.