Things seem to be moving fast for George Clooney's next writing/directorial effort, the WWII heist film Monuments Men. Earlier this month we learned who the superstar multi-hyphenate was eying for the film, with names such as Cate Blanchett, Paul Giamatti, and Jean Dujardin on his rather ambitious wishlist. Now as Sony and 20th Century Fox are finalizing a deal to co-finance the project, THR says that Bill Murray has come aboard the film as well.
Unfortunately they don't have much on the status of the other deals, with Blanchett seeming to be the only one they are willing to confirm. Based on Robert M. Edsel's novel, the WWII-set story follows a group of art enthusiasts hired by the government to retrieve stolen pieces from the Nazis. Clooney will play U.S. Army officer George Stout, while Blanchett is set for the female lead, a French historian and resistance fighter.
It's possible that Murray is replacing one of the other guys on Clooney's list, but I hope that's not the case. Giamatti, Clooney, Murray, Dujardin, and Blanchett in one film is almost too much to much for my little brain to handle.
