Hearing that George Clooney would be in The Descendants filled me with mixed emotions. I mean, he would have to be playing Milo, and I’m not sure George is that much of a chameleon. Also, it’s hard to imagine Clooney even listening to The Descendants.
But then it turns out the movie has nothing to do with the California punk band and everything to do with Alexander Payne. The Descendants is Payne’s next film and it looks as though Clooney will be his star; the film, according to Variety, ‘centers on a wealthy landowner who takes his two daughters on a search for his wife’s lover in the hopes of keeping his family together.’ It’s based on a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings.
This would be Payne’s first film in a whopping five years. That must be attractive to Clooney, as is the fact that the movie is shooting in Hawaii. The Descendants shoots in February, which gives Clooney plenty of time to stump his upcoming trifecta – Men Who Stare at Goats, The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Up in the Air – as well as finish shooting Anton Corbijn’s thriller, The American.