Clooney directing, starring in ‘Catch-22’ drama series

PASADENA, Calif. – George Clooney is directing and starring in a TV series version of the novel “Catch-22.”

Streaming service Hulu said Sunday that the six-part series based on Joseph Heller’s anti-war satire will go into production in 2018. A debut date and other cast members weren’t announced.

Clooney will play Col. Cathcart in the drama he’s directing with his Smokehouse Pictures partner, Grant Heslov. Smokehouse is producing it with Paramount Television and Anonymous Content.

The 1961 novel focuses on a World War II Air Force bombardier, John Yossarian, whose determined efforts to evade combat are thwarted by a bureaucratic rule, Catch-22, which became a lasting catchphrase for a no-win situation.

A 1970 film based on “Catch-22” was directed by Mike Nichols and starred Alan Arkin as Yossarian and Martin Balsam as Cathcart.