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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

George Clooney Expands His Paramount Television Deal

Pete Souza
/
White House Photo
George Clooney returns to TV in 2019.

George Clooney and business partner Grant Heslov have signed a two-year "first look" deal with Paramount TV for all of their "television, digital and episodic projects," Deadline reports.

Through their Smokehouse Pictures, Clooney and Heslov are producing and directing the six-part Catch-22 miniseries with Paramount TV. It will be streamed on Hulu next year. Catch-22 wasannounced during the Television Critics Association's winter press tour in Pasadena in January.

Credit John Kiesewetter
Campaign poster for Clooney's Mike Morris character, a presidential candidate in "The Ides of March," when filming started on Hamilton Avenue in Northside in February 2011.

The miniseries, based on Joseph Heller's 1961 novel set in Italy during World War II, will be Clooney's first TV series since his breakthrough on NBC's ER (1993-98), after regular series roles on Facts of Life, E/R, Roseanne, Sisters, Bodies of Evidence and Baby Talk.

Clooney, the 1979 Augusta Independent High School graduate who grew up in Fort Mitchell, Mason and Augusta, also stars in the miniseries with Kyle Chandler (Manchester By The Sea, Friday Night Lights), Christopher Abbott, (First Man, Girls, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot), Julie Ann Emery (Better Call Saul, Major Crimes), Hugh Laurie (House, Veep) and Martin Delaney (Zero Dark Thirty).

The deal gives Paramount TV first dibs on any TV, digital or serial projects from Clooney and Heslov, whose credits include The Ides of March, filmed here in 2011, and Argo, which won the 2013 Academy Award for best picture.

"We couldn't be more excited to be working with Paramount TV ... Our experience on Catch-22 has been nothing but terrific," said Clooney and Heslov in the Deadline story.

Catch-22 is his most recent acting credit on the Internet Movie Database.He and Heslov are producing On Becoming a God in Central Florida, a 10-episode dark comedy starring Kristen Dunst for AMC, and Red Platoon,  starring Oscar-winner Casey Affleck for Sony Pictures.

Clooney, 57, became a father for the first time in June 2017. George and wife Amal had twins, Ella and Alexander.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.