George Clooney to direct adaptation of John Grisham’s Calico Joe

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Take me out to the ball game. George Clooney and Grant Heslov are developing a feature-film adaptation of John Grisham's "Calico Joe" with Clooney also attached to direct. In addition, Clooney and Heslov will produce the project through their Smokehouse Pictures banner alongside Bob Dylan's Grey Water Park Productions.

"Calico Joe" is about a pitch thrown in 1973 that ends the career of a promising young baseball player, sending him into a decades-long coma. Toss in a helping of forgiveness, redemption, and America's favourite pastime, and you've got the makings of a moving story. "John has written a beautiful story and the chance to collaborate with Bob to bring it to the screen is just fantastic," said Clooney and Heslov in a joint statement. Bob Dylan added, "George and Grant see in this book what I see in it – a powerful story that will resonate with young and old alike. People in all walks of life will be able relate to it."

The official synopsis of "Calico Joe" via Amazon:

It’s the summer of 1973, and Joe Castle is the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone has ever seen. The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas, dazzles Chicago Cubs fans as he hits home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shatters all rookie records. Calico Joe quickly becomes the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing New York Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faces Calico Joe, Paul is in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his dad. Then Warren throws a fastball that will change their lives forever.

George Clooney will next be seen in THE MIDNIGHT SKY, a sci-fi thriller that he also directed. Based on Lily Brooks-Dalton's "Good Morning, Midnight," THE MIDNIGHT SKY follows the parallel stories of "Augustine (Clooney), a lonely scientist in the Arctic, and an astronaut on board the Aether spacecraft, which is trying to return home to Earth, as Augustine races to make contact with the spaceship." In addition to Clooney, the film also stars Felicity Jones, Kyle Chandler, David Oyelowo, and Demián Bichir, and is slated to debut on Netflix this December.