George Clooney Casts Joel Edgerton In His New 1936 Olympics Movie

George Clooney has announced the cast for his new film The Boys in the Boat, with Joel Edgerton heading up the ensemble. Clooney’s recent directorial efforts include The Monuments Men and 2021’s Ben Affleck vehicle The Tender Bar. Edgerton, seen in Bright and The Green Knight, has also recently starred in Amazon’s The Underground Railroad series.

Now, Clooney’s latest project has cast Edgerton alongside a number of names. Deadline reports that Clooney’s new film will also star Mare of Easttown’s Jack Mulhern, Mindhunter’s Sam Strike, and Fantastic Beasts’ Callum Turner. The Boys in the Boat, based on Daniel James Brown’s 2013 novel, is set during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. With the backdrop of Nazi rule in Germany over the sporting events, the story focuses on the Washington rowing team that went from Great Depression-era humble beginnings to medal winners.

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Clooney’s upcoming projects include a collaboration with Brad Pitt and director Jon Watts which has recently entered production. Meanwhile, Edgerton is set to appear in the upcoming Star Wars series Kenobi on Disney+, in which he will reprise his role as Owen Lars for the first time since 2005’s Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Boys in the Boat looks set to be an inspiring true story, the perfect basis for an uplifting historical film. Clooney’s previous directorial efforts have been well-received, with his second film Good Night, and Good Luck earning him an Oscar nomination. The talented cast and superstar director are a promising combination as The Boys in the Boat enters production later this month.

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Source: Deadline