From Superman to super spy – watch Henry in his new movie role

Henry Cavill won the hearts of thousands of admirers across the globe when he flew onto the silver screen as Superman.

But the first official trailer of Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. shows that the 31-year-old has now effortlessly transformed from super hero to super spy.

• Henry was born in Jersey on 5 May 1983.
• In December 2013 he was voted as the worlds’ sexiest man by Glamour magazine readers.
• He was once dubbed the ‘unluckiest man in Hollywood’ by Empire magazine after missing our in several roles, including Batman and James Bond.
• He is a member of the Jersey Rugby Club.
• On becoming an ambassador for Durrell, he said he wanted to raise awareness of the wildlife park as well as the importance of conservation

Island-born Henry, who last year became a Durrell ambassador, takes on the lead role as Napoleon Solo, who has to join forces with a former foe, in the film adaptation of the 1960s television series.

The two minute trailer which was only released on Wednesday has already been watched nearly half a million times on YouTube.

Set for release on August 14 this year, the action comedy is based at the height of the Cold War when an international criminal organisation intends to use nuclear weapons to upset the balance of power between the United States and the Soviet Union.

It is down to CIA agent Napoleon Solo, played by the former St Michael School pupil, and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin played bySocial Network film star Armie Hammer, to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks.

Revealing he was well prepared to take on the role of agent Kuryakin, Hammer told Entertainment Weekly: ‘I moved to the Soviet Union for six years. It was time travel as well as location. The jet lag is a killer.’

Elizabeth Debicki, who appeared in the Great Gatsby will be the movie’s leading lady, while Jared Harris best known for playing Sherlock Holmes’ arch-enemy Professor Moriarty in the film A Game of Shadows will also star.

Lionel Wigram, who co-wrote the screenplay with Guy Ritchie said: ‘Guy and I have long loved these characters, and wanted to start from scratch with our own take and create a film steeped in the 1960s for today’s audiences.

‘We are particularly happy about our cast, who all bring something special to the film. Henry, Armie, Alicia and Elizabeth are among the best and most exciting actors of the next generation.’

In June 2013 Hollywood came to Jersey to celebrate Jersey’s Henry Cavill becoming Superman. Ahead of the Jersey premiere of Man of Steel at Cineworld, Henry took to the red carpet for the movie’s Jersey première, bringing with him fellow stars Russell Crowe and Amy Adams. Thousands gathered outside the cinema for the event, during which the trio chatted to fans and posed for pictures.

• Originally it was an American television series, broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968
• It followed secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret international espionage and law-enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E
• The series consisted of 105 episodes, spanning four seasons, with the first season filmed in black and white
• U.N.C.L.E.’s adversary was T.H.R.U.S.H. The original series never divulged what T.H.R.U.S.H. represented, but in several U.N.C.L.E. novels by David McDaniel, it is the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity.

• In August last year Jersey’s Man of Steel became a Durrell ambassador, in a bid to raise awareness of the wildlife park and the importance.
• On a visit to the Island, he swapped his Superman cape for a Durrell t-shirt as he took a tour of the park.
• Speaking to the JEP at the time, he said: ‘I’m here to raise awareness of the Durrell conservation effort worldwide. This is a place that is very close to my heart – I used to come here as a boy, and now that I can help to raise people’s awareness of Durrell, I thought I would make the effort.’
• Reflecting on childhood visits to the attraction, he said: ‘I used to come here so often. I remember playing here with my brother. Being around the gorilla enclosure is a particular memory.
• Lee Durrell, the park’s honorary director and wife of the late Gerald Durrell, said: ‘To use the words ‘’ambassador’’ and ‘’Henry Cavill’’ in one sentence is brilliant. I hope with his being spokesman it will bring the name of Durrell and our mission to the attention of people all round the world.’