George Clooney to Direct and Star in Film Adaptation of Good Morning, Midnight for Netflix

George Clooney is stepping into both the lead actor and directing roles for the forthcoming Netflix film adaptation of Good Morning, Midnight, the streamer announced Monday.

An as-of-yet-untitled adaptation of Lily Brooks-Dalton’s novel, the post-apocalyptic tale tells the parallel story of Augustine (Clooney), a lonely scientist in the Arctic, and an astronaut aboard a spacecraft that’s returning home to Earth. The story follows Augustine as he tries to make contact with the spacecraft and its inhabitant.

The novel was named one of the best books of 2017 by the Chicago Review of Books, and the film’s script is set to be adapted by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, Overlord). In addition to starring and directing, Clooney will produce alongside Smokehouse Pictures’ Grant Heslov (Catch-22, Argo). The two will also produce alongside Anonymous Content and Syndicate Entertainment, who originally sourced the material.

“Grant and I couldn’t be more excited to be involved with this incredible project,” Clooney said in a statement. “Mark is a writer we’ve long admired and his script is haunting. We’re thrilled to be working with our friends at Netflix, as well.”

Other than the forthcoming film, Clooney has recently directed two episodes of Hulu’s Catch-22, which he stars in. His latest directorial feature film was the Matt Damon-led 2017 comedy-drama Suburbicon. Good Morning, Midnight will also mark his first acting role in a feature film since the 2016 drama Money Monster with Julia Roberts.

Production on the currently untitled film adaptation begins in October.

“Having known and worked with George for over two decades, I can’t think of anyone better to bring this amazing story to life,” Scott Stuber, head of Netflix’s film division, said in a statement. “The book is powerful and moving, and Mark’s adaptation is beautifully written. At its core, this is a story about human nature, and one that I know our global audiences will fall in love with, just like I did when I read it.”