If a movie already has Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts attached, you wouldn’t think it would need any more star power, but it’s getting some behind-the-scenes, as George Clooney has just signed on to produce August: Osage County.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play by Tracy Letts, August: Osage County tells the story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. Streep has been cast as pill-popping matriarch Violet Weston, and Roberts will play her complicated adult daughter Barbara. John Wells will direct from Letts’ screen adaptation.
Clooney commented, “Grant and I are thrilled to work on this project. It’s already a great cast and great material and I can’t think of anyone better than Harvey [Weinstein] to put this all together. And we’re particularly excited to work with our dear friend John Wells [who gave Clooney his big break on ER]. It’s such a terrific group and we feel honored to help bring it to the screen.”
The filmmakers are still casting, with shooting set to begin this autumn. (Source: Variety)