Oh, this thing again?

All's been quiet on "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." front for the better part of the year, but the long in-development secret agent showcase apparently hasn't been handed its burn notice just yet as Tom Cruise is now in talks to star, according to Deadline.

"The Man From U.N.C.L.E." is based on the '60s television series that chronicled the adventures of two agents who work for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement: American agent Napoleon Solo and his Russian partner, Illya Kuryakin. Together with their wits, charm and cool gadgets, they battled the evil forces of THRUSH (Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity, according to David McDaniel's source novels). Guy Ritchie ("Sherlock Holmes") is currently set to direct the big-screen adaptation.

Cruise is in talks to play Napoleon Solo, a role that to which several actors were attached throughout 2011, including Bradley Cooper, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ryan Gosling. George Clooney was actually the first name mentioned when the project was set up as a possible directing project for the now-retired Steven Soderbergh.

The last actor mentioned for Illya Kuryakin was "Zero Dark Thirty" star Joel Edgerton, but that was back in Nov. '11. No word on whether he's still even vaguely being considered for the part, comrade.

If Cruise signs on, it could make for a brand new spy franchise for the "Mission: Impossible" star, who's also apparently going to be doing another "Jack Reacher" movie upon the first film's international success. Cruise will next be seen in "Oblivion," opening April 19.