Steven Soderbergh Exits Warner Bros.' 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.'

Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has parted ways with the planned Warner Bros. remake of Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

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Reports circulated on Friday that Warners and the filmmaker fought over budgeting on what was intended to be the first in a series of international spy thrillers. Warners is said to have wanted the film to cost less than $60 million, according to the blog The Playlist, but those clashes have not been confirmed. 

The project had other troubles, including casting its lead actor. George Clooney was the initial choice, and when he passed, the studio considered everyone from Channing Tatum to Bradley Cooper to Ryan Gosling to The Killing star Joel Kinnaman and Michael Fassbender.

Warners also wanted the film to start production in March 2012. It now must decide whether to scrap the project or bring on another director.

Soderbergh's next movie, Haywire, will be released in January. After that he has Magic Mike, a movie set in the world of male strippers, which will be released later in 2012 by Warner Bros.