Thursday, May 27, 2010

George Clooney to play assassin?

The Oscar-winning actor is still riding high from the hyped Jason Reitman film, Up in the Air, released this past winter. The movie earned Clooney his fifth Academy Award nomination, further cementing his elite status in Hollywood. Audiences rarely see the 49-year-old actor completely flop, at least not in the past decade. 



Clooney's work continues to resonate in classic heist films, animation, pure drama, and of course, the usual crime thriller that doubles as a humorous tale such as Burn After Reading. Most times, Clooney is the film's protagonist, moving through the plot as the lovable character we tend to cheer. 

His newest film, The American, features a different side of Clooney that will either sink or swim with audiences and critics. The movie is directed by Anton Corbijn, and will be released in September. Corbijn's filmography includes mostly music videos and independent features, so his newest work with Clooney will easily be his most mainstream project. 

The screenplay is written by Rowan Joffe, who penned the horror sequel, 28 Weeks Later. The film is based on the novel, A Very Private Gentleman, by Martin Booth. Thekla Reuten and Bruce Altman co-star with Clooney. The plot focuses on one man's final job as an assassin (Clooney) working in Italy. His fateful work eventually flirts with temptation. 

The real question with the film is whether Clooney can pull off the assassin persona, considering his recent "good guy" roles a la Ocean's Eleven and Michael Clayton. I personally think anything's possible for an actor destined for a second Oscar victory in the very near future. Clooney is more daring than ever before in his young career, so I'm not completely stunned he's taking on this role. 

Source: Seattle PI

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