George Clooney took the world by storm with his first two films as director, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck. Many were surprised at his adept ability to helm a movie, for the transition from actor to director is not always successful. However, his next film Leatherheads was a major disappointment and many started to wonder if he would burn out in terms of filmmaking following the crash of said film. Unperturbed by that failure, he moved onto another directing project with The Ides of March and delivered a complex, compelling thriller that had a lot to say about what goes on behind the scenes of modern day elections.
With that success, the next project holds much-anticipation. In a new repot from The Wrap, Clooney has decided on a potential project that he wants to direct (as well as co-write with producing partner Grant Heslov and star in). The film is entitled The Monuments Men, and will take place during WWII. Fortunately, it is taking a more intriguing route into the setting that has been used so much. It will center on a handpicked group of U.S. art experts whose task is to retrive stolen artwork from the Nazis. Check out a synopsis of Robert M. Edsel‘s book it will be based on, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, below.
At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: “degenerate” works he despised.
In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Momuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.
Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world’s great art from the Nazis.
Clooney describes the film as “big-budget” and “commercial”, but also “organic,” saying he wants to “do something that seems fun and actually has something to say.” Sounds like perhaps he wants to make something slightly reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven, which is certainly not a bad thing. The film is also said to have a big ensemble cast, with plenty of potential for talented character actors. Clooney is the only person signed on to participate at the moment, but he says it is his number #1 priority. Stay tuned to announcements as to who will be appearing in this film and the star’s next film as actor, Alfonso Cuaron‘s Gravity, will release November 21st, 2012.
Do you think this sounds like it has the potential to be a good film? Are you a fan of Clooney as director?