George Clooney will not be playing the lead role in Steven Soderberg's The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The 50-year-old star, who has worked with Soderbergh in several hits, including Solaris, The Good German and the Oceans series, exited the project for undisclosed reasons.



Despite Clooney's departure, Warner Bros Pictures is determined to stay on their schedule and begin production on the film in February 2012.

The film's story is based on The Spy With My Face, which starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum and was released in 1965.

Besides Man from U.N.C.L.E, Soderbergh is preparing to release his thriller Contagion which stars Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow on September 9.

He is also working on female-centered action Haywire and male stripper drama Magic Mike.

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