Hollywood Popular Artists

Jun 7th 2012, 18:33

After George Clooney received critical acclaim for 2011's "Ides of March," which he produced, wrote, starred in and directed, he's stretching his directorial chops once again to helm "The Young Commandte."

The film is based on a 23-page article by David Grann in the May 28, 2012 issue of The New Yorker, "The Yankee Comandante." The piece tells the story of U.S. citizen William Alexander Morgan who aided Cuban rebels in 1959 as they sought to overthrow then-President Fulgencio Batista, paving the way for Fidel Castro to take on the role of Cuba's Prime Minister.

For his efforts, his status reached that of Comandante, a great honor for an outsider. The only other foreigner to be as highly regarded was Argentinian Che Guevara. But Morgan's mysterious demeanor worked against him as some questioned his motives. Shortly after being awarded his rank, Morgan faced imprisonment and a firing squad as a traitor based on charges that he was working for the U.S. as a spy.

Deadline reports Focus Features is making a rights deal for the picture and Clooney will also produce with Grant Heslov.

The Academy Award-winning filmmaker's next project, however, is an adaptation of "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History" by Robert M. Edsel. The book follows the Monuments Men, a group of American and British museum directors, curators and historians, who sought to rescue some of the world's greatest art from the hands of the Nazis in WWII.

What do you think of this new flick? Are you glad Clooney's continuing his directorial talents? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!

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