George Clooney is paddling back through historic waters with latest film “The Boys in the Boat.”
Clooney, who directs the historical drama on the heels of helming “The Tender Bar,” uses a script penned by Mark L. Smith, adapted from Daniel James Brown’s nonfiction book following the incredible true story of the 1936 University of Washington men’s crew team.
The official synopsis reads: Based on the bestselling non-fiction novel about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games, this true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they’re thrust into the spotlight and take on elite international rivals.
Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner are among the ensemble cast for the sports film, which also stars Chris Diamantopoulos, Callum Turner, Jack Mulhern, Sam Strike, Luke Slattery, Thomas Elms, Tom Varey, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Wil Coban, James Wolk, Hadley Robinson, and Courtney Henggeler.
Director Clooney produces “The Boys in the Boat” along with Grant Heslov. Kevin Ulrich, Barbara A. Hall, Gary Barber, and Peter Oillataguerre serve as executive producers.
Clooney said in a featurette for the MGM production that the titular team are “rowing because it’s the only way they can stay in college. The stakes were much higher for them, and it gave them an edge.”
Clooney describes how the team first went from “taking on the seniors, the fraternity kids, and then taking on the Nazis” at the Olympics.
“Rowing, particularly in the 1920s, was one of the most-attended sports in the United States,” Clooney states, crediting the historic story for embodying the message that “you can pull yourself up from nothing and succeed.”
In addition to “The Boys in the Boat,” a TV adaptation of Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck” is in the works at AMC as of 2022. Emmy-winning “Succession” and “Better Call Saul” writer Jonathan Glatzer will serve as the showrunner, while Grant Heslov, who co-wrote the original film’s screenplay, is attached to direct the first episode.
“The Boys in the Boat” premieres December 25 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
