It looks like the pieces for George Clooney’s next directorial effort, “Farragut North” are beginning to come together. Last we heard from the gestating project, Leonardo DiCaprio had been reading with an eye on the lead, and though he has now bowed out, Clooney still has a very talented pool of players on the horizon.
Chris Pine, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti have been tapped by Clooney to star in the film with a February start date in mind. The film is an adaptation of a political play by Beau Willimon, loosely based on the 2004 Democratic primary run of Howard Dean, and “the story is set in Des Moines, Iowa, just weeks before the state’s Democratic caucuses officially commence; it follows the exploits of a twenty-something presidential campaign spinmeister/wunderkind named Stephen Myers, and the dirty pool he plays to get his candidate the nomination against a rival senator.”
Hoffman will plays Myers’ boss on the campaign trail (a role that Brad Pitt was at one time eyeing, though his packed scheduled ultimately didn’t allow him to take the part) with Giamatti playing the manager of the rival candidate. However, the lead role Stephen Myers remains a slight question mark. With DiCaprio out, an offer has been made to Chris Pine who played the part to some acclaim in an L.A. stage production of the play. We imagine his participation will depend on the scheduling for the Jack Ryan reboot, “Moscow.” Also receiving offers are Evan Rachel Wood for the part of a teen staffer who with whom Myers has a sexual relationship and Marisa Tomei to play a journalist.
Sony is looking to strike a deal to distribute the independent project, with Clooney looking to get financing from producer Philippe Rousselet (“Source Code,” “Larry Crowne”). With this first rate cast and meaty subject matter, if everything comes together, this looks like a strong contender for the 2011 awards season. [Vulture]