Start your engines.
Hollywood players are falling over themselves in the hopes of landing a new movie package featuring the “Ocean’s 11” team of George Clooney and Brad Pitt, who will reunite under the watchful eye of “Spider-Man: Homecoming” director Jon Watts. According to the Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news, the package has drawn interest from a cavalcade of would-be buyers including Lionsgate, Apple, Sony, Netflix, Universal, Amazon, Annapurna and Warner Bros. Phew.
It’s not hard to see why everyone is breaking out their checkbooks — two A-listers + hot director = box office winner/streaming standout. The deal calls for Watts to write, direct and produce the film with Clooney and Pitt sliding into the lead roles. Their production labels, Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures and Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, will produce the picture.
Plot details, scant as they are, are being guarded like the Hope Diamond. Here’s what we do know. Apparently the film with focus on two fixers who get the same gig.
In addition to their work in the “Ocean’s 11” franchise, both Pitt and Clooney re-teamed for the Coen brothers’ “Burn After Reading.” Pitt is fresh off an Oscar win for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Clooney is directing Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan in this fall’s “The Tender Bar.” Watts has directed all three of the most recent Spider-Man films. His latest entry, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” debuts this winter.
Clooney, Pitt, and Watts are repped by CAA. Clooney is also repped by Lichter Grossman, Pitt is also repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Goodman Genow, and Watts is also repped by Ziffren Brittenham.
Adam B. Vary contributed to this report.