George Clooney in talks to direct sci-fi thriller 'Echo' with backing from producers of 'Stranger Things'
George Clooney is in talks with 20th Century Fox to direct 'Echo,' which will boast a sci-fi edge and mark the first occasion of the Oscar-winning actor trying his hand in the genre, according to certain media reports. Sources close to Clooney are supposedly confident that the deal will go through and that it is a matter of when and not if.
According to an official description, 'Echo' is an original thriller with a 'sci-fi edge' in which a drone specialist has a psychological crisis and wonders whether he's being paranoid in suspecting his lover is not who she appears to be and that she may have possibly been replaced by someone who is acting in her stead.
Clooney made his directorial debut with the biographical spy comedy 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' in 2002, which, while performing poorly in the box office, was praised by critics who felt that his directing showed promise, a Deadline report said. He has since also directed historical drama 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' sports comedy 'Leatherheads,' political drama 'The Ides of March,' and war film 'The Monuments of Men.'
His record behind the camera has been mixed, however. 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' which Clooney wrote, directed, and starred in, was nominated for six Academy Awards and was lauded by critics and audiences alike, while on the other hand, the likes of 'Leatherheads' and 'The Monuments of Men' premiered to mixed reviews.
Clooney's most recent directorial venture was black comedy film 'Suburbicon,' which he also wrote. Loosely based on a 1957 incident in Levittown, Pennsylvania, it premiered in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival this past September and received a theatrical release in October. It also got negative reviews from critics and bombed at the box office.
'Echo' will be produced by 21 Laps Entertainment's Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, and Dan Cohen, with the script for the film penned by Christopher Macbride, who is known for writing 'The Conspiracy' (2012), 'Sleep Lab' and 'Inside the Box,' as well as the upcoming 'The Education of Fredrick Fitzell.'
Considering the studio's past success in financing projects in the genre — they have produced the likes of 'Stranger Things,' 'Real Steel,' and 'Arrival' in recent times, with 'The Darkest Minds' and 'Kin' to come in 2018 — it's safe to say that 'Echo' is in good hands.
Besides 'Echo,' Clooney will also be directing the opening episode of upcoming American-British-Italian drama miniseries 'Catch-22' alongside Smoke House Pictures partner Grant Heslov, and Ellen Kuras. Clooney will also be acting and serving as executive producer for the Hulu series which also stars Christopher Abbott, Kyle Chandler and Hugh Laurie.