George Clooney Heads to Broadway in a Stage Adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck
George Clooney is set to make his Broadway debut early in 2025 with a stage adaptation of the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck. The production marks a notable shift for the Oscar-winning director and actor, who will star in the play while continuing his behind-the-scenes collaboration on the script. The work brings to life the real-life drama of journalist Edward R. Murrow and his public stand against the anti-Communist witch hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s. Clooney welcomed the opportunity to return to the stage, expressing respect for Broadway as the art form and the venue where many actors aspire to perform.
More than a decade ago, Clooney shared the stage with Martin Sheen and Brad Pitt in Dustin Lance Black’s Los Angeles production of 8, a play that examined the fight for marriage equality in the United States. In this Broadway venture, Clooney will co-write the stage script for Good Night, and Good Luck with his long-time collaborator Grant Heslov, while entrusting the direction to the acclaimed playwright David Cromer. Cromer is celebrated for his Tony-winning work and for iconic productions such as The Band’s Visit, underscoring his reputation for a precise, intimate storytelling approach on stage.
Cromer commented that Murrow operated with a moral clarity that feels increasingly rare in today’s media landscape. He emphasized that the immediacy of televised information from that era can be most authentically captured in a live theater experience, performed directly before an audience. The claim points to a dramatic sensibility that translates the era’s journalism into a shared, visceral encounter with viewers who are watching events unfold in real time.
Clooney joins a growing cohort of film stars turning to Broadway, including Rachel McAdams in Mary Jane and Steve Carell in Uncle Vanya, with further high-profile debuts anticipated from Robert Downey Jr. in McNeal and other familiar names such as Eddie Redmayne, Daniel Radcliffe, and Sarah Paulson. The trend reflects a broader interest among celebrated actors to explore the immediacy and texture of live performance, alongside their film careers.
[–>