Although it’s been known for a while that Geroge Clooney was planning to star in an adaptation of Martin Booth’s book, A Very Private Gentlemen, news on the project has been very thin on the ground. However, despite little about the project being said publicly, things have been moving ahead rapidly, as Screen International is reporting that not only has the title now changed to The American, but that production on the movie started this week in Italy.
The movie, directed by photographer turned filmmaker Steven Corbijn (who also helmed the excellent Ian Curtis biopic, Control) is about a master assassin called Jack (Clooney). When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside while he waits for a weapon to be readied for his final hit, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues romance with local woman Clara. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.
The film sounds like a mix of gritty thriller and the sort of American abroad romances Hollywood was so fond of in the 1950s, and should certainly allow Clooney to express his love of all things Italian. Filming is now underway, with plans to release the movie next year.