A new George Clooney project is similar to that of stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt. They’re not things that come around often and when they do, you have to pay attention. And in the case of Clooney, it may not even be an acting role, as the A-lister has grown more accustomed to taking on directing jobs, such as the upcoming baseball drama, “Calico Joe.”
According to Variety, Clooney and his producing partner Grant Heslov are taking on the development of a film based on the John Grisham sports novel, “Calico Joe.” The baseball feature is also a project that Clooney is eyeing as a potential directing gig. The film would be based on the 2012 novel about a fictional baseball player that is hit by a pitch and put into a coma that lasts for three decades. So, yeah, it’s a baseball film, but clearly, there’s a lot of human drama, which is something that Clooney loves to add to his directorial outings.
“John has written a beautiful story and the chance to collaborate with Bob to bring it to the screen is just fantastic,” said Clooney and Heslov.
As mentioned, a new Clooney project, directing or otherwise, isn’t a yearly occurrence. His most recent feature film project was 2017’s “Suburbicon.” However, last year, he did act in the Hulu series, “Catch-22,” which he also produced and directed some episodes. He is also set to star in the upcoming Netflix film, “The Midnight Sky,” which he also directed. That film is expected to arrive in December, with an eye towards contending for some awards.
READ MORE: George Clooney Directing Coming-Of-Age Film ‘The Tender Bar’ For Amazon
Clooney isn’t the first director to take a stab at “Calico Joe.” Back when the novel was first published, filmmaker Chris Columbus was eyeing the project for development. However, over the past decade, that has clearly fallen apart.
“Calico Joe” isn’t the only project that Clooney has in development for his next directing job. He’s also reportedly attached to direct an Amazon Studios coming-of-age film, “The Tender Bar.” However, it’s unclear which feature will serve as his next project.
