George Clooney will direct and star in McCarthy era drama Goodnight.And Good Luck. for Section Eight and ToddWagner and Mark Cuban's 2929 Entertainment.

Clooney's directing follow-up to Confessions Of ADangerous Mind is being set up at WarnerBros Pictures for domestic and sold to overseas buyers through 2929International, 2929's new sales arm under Shebnem Askin.

Already on board as co-production partners are MetropolitanFilms of France, the UK's Redbus and Tohokushinsha of Japan. The story ofbroadcaster Edward R Murrow's on-air confrontations with McCarthy willstar the acclaimed David Strathairn as Murrow and Clooney as his producer,David Friendly. Indie darling Patricia Clarkson also stars.

Photography is to start in February for seven weeks in LosAngeles, with producing duties shared by Steven Soderbergh, Clooney and GrantHeslov, who also wrote the script with Clooney.

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