When George Clooney calls, people answer. So it is that the Cloonester has gathered what could be his best cast yet for his latest film, T****he Monuments Men. Ready for the roster? Here we go: Daniel Craig, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin , John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville and Bob Balaban are all involved.
The drama, co-written by Clooney and regular producing partner Grant Heslov, adapts Robert M Edsel’s book, which is subtitled Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves And The Greatest Treasure Hunt In History.
Clooney is stepping in front of the camera as well as picking up the megaphone, and he’ll star as George Stout, a US Army officer who also happens to be an art conservationist. It’s his job to lead a team of experts who helped repatriate tens of thousands of pieces of art stolen by the Nazis. There's a ticking time clock on their work, because Hitler's cronies are planning to destroy the evidence.
Blanchett, who was also mentioned earlier, is set to play Rose Valland, a French Resistance fighter with a helpful knowledge of art history. It will be familiar territory for her, what with her previous Resistance experience in Charlotte Gray.
Cameras will begin rolling next March in Europe with Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox picking up the production tab. We could be more excited for this one, but that might be illegal.