George Clooney's 'The Boys in the Boat' ropes in Joel Edgerton, Jack Mulhern & other stars

George Clooney has put together an amazing ensemble cast for his upcoming production and directorial venture, The Boys in the Boat. Based on author Daniel James Brown’s 2013 novel The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the project has now added stars like Joel Edgerton, Jack Mulhern, as well as Sam Strike, Luke Slattery, Thomas Elms, Tom Varey, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Wil Coban and Hadley Robinson, according to a Deadline report. 

The fleet of actors will be joining previously announced Callum Turner to star in Clooney's adaptation. Writer Mark L. Smith will be adapting the book's story, which chronicles the University of Washington’s rowing team that ventured to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin to represent the United States and ended up bagging gold for the country. 

George Clooney's The Boys in the Boat casts Joel Edgerton, Jack Mulhern & others 

According to a Collider report, the film will weave two stories together, with the first one about the hardships and challenges braved by the team of young men as they make their way through college following the fallout caused by the Great Depression. It also entails the shortcomings they faced before forming their team. Meanwhile, the second part is that of the 'rise of Nazi Germany', with Hitler using  Olympic Games as a 'pedestal' to outshine the world. 

While Clooney along with his Smoke House Pictures partner Grant Heslov are bankrolling the project, Spyglass is set to executively produce it. Clooney was close to directing the film last year; however, when the opportunity to helm The Tender Bar came, he positioned this one as a follow-up. The production is set to commence later this month. 

Meanwhile, Clooney's recent directorial The Tender Bar was released on Amazon Prime earlier this year. Starring Ben Affleck, the film comes as an adaptation of JR Moehringer's 2005 memoir of the same name and follows the tale of a fatherless boy who grows up alongside his uncle (played by Ben). His uncle introduces him to the world of books, and he inculcates the habit of reading and writing. The little one then transforms into a writer and narrates the tale of how Ben helped him in getting through all life's challenges.  

(Image: AP)