The Ides of March, George Clooney Film Based on Farragut North, to Open Venice Film Festival

The Ides of March, a starry feature film adaptation of Beau Willimon’s play Farragut North, will open the 2011 Venice Film Festival on August 31, according to Deadline.com. George Clooney co-wrote, directed and stars in the film as a midwesterm governor and presidential hopeful. Ryan Gosling co-stars as an ambitious young media adviser, with Philip Seymour Hoffman as a seen-it-all campaign manager, Evan Rachel Wood as an idealistic intern, Marisa Tomei as a New York Times reporter and Paul Giamatti as a rival campaign manager.

Set just before a presidential primary, the movie was inspired by the 2008 play by Willimon, who worked on the campaign of Howard Dean. Atlantic Theater Company’s original off-Broadway production starred Chris Noth in Hoffman’s role, John Gallagher Jr. in Gosling’s part and Olivia Thirlby as the intern and love interest of Gallagher. The play was restaged at L.A.’s Geffen Theatre in 2009 by original director Doug Hughes with Chris Pine as the media adviser. The role of the presidential candidate was not part of the play.

Clooney wrote the screenplay with Grant Heslov, his collaborator on Good Night, and Good Luck. The Ides of March is set for nationwide release on October 7.