George Clooney will be directing and starring in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie for Netflix.
The streaming giant today announced that the Oscar winner is currently in pre-production on an adaptation of the acclaimed novel Good Morning, Midnight by author Lily Brooks-Dalton. Clooney will also be producing with longtime collaborator Grant Heslov under their Smokehouse Pictures banner.
The still-untitled film will find Clooney playing Augustine, a lonely scientist situated in the Arctic, as he heads on race against time to make contact with a spacecraft crew attempting to return home to Earth. We’ll be following both stories in parallel.
The screenplay adaptation comes from Mark L. Smith, whose credits include The Revenant, last year’s Overlord, and Vacancy. This will mark Clooney’s seventh feature film as director; his other directorial efforts include Good Night and Good Luck, The Ides of March and The Monuments Men.
“Grant and I couldn’t be more excited to be involved with this incredible project,” Clooney said in a statement. “Mark is a writer we’ve long admired and his script is haunting. We’re thrilled to be working with our friends at Netflix as well.”
Said Scott Stuber, head of Netflix’s film division: “Having known and worked with George for over two decades, I can’t think of anyone better to bring this amazing story to life. The book is powerful and moving, and Mark’s adaptation is beautifully written. At its core, this is a story about human nature, and one that I know our global audiences will fall in love with, just like I did when I read it.”
Production on the film is scheduled to begin in October.
