Now, via Deadline, there is news that Cooper may also re-write and direct the new movie, in addition to his acting duties.
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The news comes on the heels of ‘Twisters’ director Lee Isaac Chung stepped away from the movie, citing creative differences with the studio and star/producer Robbie.
Yet Deadline also cautions that Cooper has signed no deals yet, so all this is still up in the air.
The cast of 2001’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The script remains a secret, though previous stories hinted that it’ll be set in 1962, and focus on a pair of thieves who target expensive earrings during a mansion event followed by a plot to steal precious diamond in Monte Carlo.
Seeking payback after something goes wrong, they recruit a team to sabotage his Monaco Grand Prix victory and swipe the gem. And, if the connection to the ‘Ocean’s franchise holds true, they might just be the parents of Danny Ocean, as played by George Clooney in the main movies.
Carrie Solomon wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay, but Cooper, assuming he does actually end up working on the movie, may start afresh.
When will the ‘Ocean’s’ prequel movie be on screens?
We’ve yet to learn when the film will land in cinemas, and Deadline’s story mentions an attempt to have it shooting before the end of this year, so 2027 is still possible.
Margot Robbie at the Los Angeles World Premiere of ‘Wuthering Heights’. Photo Credit: David Jon Photography.
Super Bowl LX is scheduled for Sunday, February 8th and it promises to be an unforgettable game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
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However, if you still need your football fix, Moviefone has compiled a list of 30 of the best football movies of all time for you to watch after the game.
These football movies cover what happens both on and off the field, and best of all, every movie here is streaming right now, so you can get started watching any of them immediately.
(L to R) Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock in ‘The Blind Side.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman (Sandra Bullock) and her family
American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player – but just when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches, and teammates that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is.
High school football coach Harold Jones (Ed Harris) befriends Radio (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a mentally-challenged man who becomes a student at TL Hanna High School in Anderson South Carolina. Their friendship extends over several decades where Radio transforms from a shy tormented man into an inspiration to his community.
Sensitive study of a headstrong high school football star (Tom Cruise) who dreams of getting out of his small Western Pennsylvania steel town with a football scholarship. His equally ambitious coach (Craig T. Nelson) aims at a college position resulting in a clash which could crush the players dreams.
Jaycen ‘Two Js’ Jennings (Snoop Dogg) is a washed-up former pro football star who has hit rock bottom. When he is sentenced to do community service coaching the Underdoggs, an unruly pee-wee football team in his hometown, he sees it mostly as an opportunity to rebuild his public image. But in the process, he may just turn his life around and rediscover his love of the game.
Pro quarterback Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler) and former college champion and coach Nate Scarboro (Burt Reynolds) are doing time in the same prison and are asked to put together a team of inmates to take on the guards. Crewe enlists the help of Scarboro to coach the inmates to victory in a football game fixed to turn out quite another way.
Several players from different backgrounds try to cope with the pressures of playing football at a major university. Each deals with the pressure differently some turn to drinking others to drugs and some to studying.
In small-town Texas, high school football is a religion, 17-year-old schoolboys carry the hopes of an entire community onto the gridiron every Friday night. When star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) suffers an injury, the Coyotes are forced to regroup under the questionable leadership of John Moxon (James Van Der Beek), a second-string quarterback with a slightly irreverent approach to the game.
Burt Reynolds in 1974’s ‘The Longest Yard.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
A football player-turned-convict (Burt Reynolds) organizes a team of inmates to play against a team of prison guards. His dilemma is that the warden (Eddie Albert) asks him to throw the game in return for an early release but he is also concerned about the inmates lack of self-esteem.
Bobby Boucher (Adam Sandler) is a water boy for a struggling college football team. The coach (Henry Winkler) discovers Boucher’s hidden rage makes him a tackling machine whose bone-crushing power might vault his team into the playoffs.
Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) used to be a typical sports agent willing to do just about anything he could to get the biggest possible contracts for his clients plus a nice commission for himself. Then one day he suddenly has second thoughts about what he’s really doing. When he voices these doubts he ends up losing his job and all of his clients save Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) an egomaniacal football player.
Inspired by the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach of Papale’s beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time – no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way.
A light hearted comedy about the beginnings of Professional American Football. When a decorated war hero (George Clooney) and college all star (John Krasinski) is tempted into playing professional football. Everyone see the chance to make some big money, but when a reporter digs up some dirt on the war hero… everyone could lose out.
Marlon Wayans is Isaiah (back, pointing) and Tyriq Withers is Cam (foreground) in ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.
After suffering a potentially career-ending brain trauma, Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) receives a lifeline when his hero, legendary eight-time Championship quarterback and cultural megastar Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), offers to train Cam at Isaiah’s isolated compound that he shares with his celebrity influencer wife. But as Cam’s training accelerates, Isaiah’s charisma begins to curdle into something darker.
When the Texas Southern Armadillos football team is disqualified for cheating and poor grades, the University is forced to pick from a team that actually goes to school. Will they even win a single game?
Inspired by the true story of four best friends (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field) living life to the fullest when they take a wild trip to the 2017 Super Bowl LI to see their hero Tom Brady play.
At the NFL Draft, general manager Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner) has the opportunity to rebuild his team when he trades for the number one pick. He must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with NFL dreams.
Keanu Reeves in ‘The Replacements’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Maverick old-guard coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) is hired in the wake of a players’ strike to help the Washington Sentinels advance to the playoffs. But that impossible dream hinges on whether his replacements can hunker down and do the job, including washed up Quarterback Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves). So, McGinty dusts off his secret dossier of ex-players who never got a chance (or screwed up the one they were given) and knits together a bad-dream team of guys who just may give the Sentinels their title shot.
Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.
Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty) is a quarterback preparing to lead his team to the Super Bowl when he is almost killed in an accident. An overanxious angel plucks him to heaven only to discover that he wasn’t ready to die, and that his body has been cremated. A new body must be found, and that of a recently-murdered millionaire is chosen. His wife and accountant—the murderers—are confused by this development, as he buys the L.A. Rams in order to once again quarterback them into the Super Bowl.
Molly (Goldie Hawn) is a high school track coach who knows just as much about football as anyone else on the planet. When a football coach’s position becomes vacant, she applies for the job, despite snickers from fellow staff members and her former husband.
When a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team’s new coach (Matthew McConaughey) and his surviving players try to keep the football program alive.
(L to R) Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans in ‘The Last Boy Scout’. Photo: Warner Bros.
When the girl (Halle Berry) that detective Joe Hallenback (Bruce Willis) is protecting gets murdered, the boyfriend (Damon Wayans) of the murdered girl attempts to investigate and solve the case. What they discover is that there is deep seated corruption going on between a crooked politician and the owner of a pro football team.
Rudy (Sean Austin) grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of five people and has set his sights upon joining the team.
A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), is seriously injured during the first game of the season, all hope is lost, and the town’s dormant social problems begin to flare up. It is left to the inspiring abilities of new coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) to instill in the other team members — and, by proxy, the town itself — a sense of self-respect and honor.
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
(L to R) Jamie Foxx, Al Pacino and Denis Quaid in ‘Any Given Sunday’. Photo: Warner Bros.
A star quarterback (Dennis Quaid) gets knocked out of the game and an unknown third stringer (Jamie Foxx) is called in to replace him. The unknown gives a stunning performance and forces the ageing coach (Al Pacino) to reevaluate his game plans and life. A new co-owner/president (Cameron Diaz) adds to the pressure of winning. The new owner must prove herself in a male dominated world.
(L to R) George Clooney and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Hired to cover up a high-profile crime, a fixer (Clooney) soon finds his night spiralling out of control when he’s forced to work with an unexpected counterpart (Brad Pitt).
Financial TV host Lee Gates (Clooney) and his producer Patty (Julia Roberts) are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes over their studio.
Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack (Clooney) embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.
Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. With the art hidden behind enemy lines, how could these guys hope to succeed? Starring Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Cate Blanchett.
A group of American soldiers (Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube) stationed in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War find a map they believe will take them to a huge cache of stolen Kuwaiti gold hidden near their base, and they embark on a secret mission that’s destined to change everything.
Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean (Clooney) is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny’s hand-picked crew of specialists (including Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle) will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos. But to score the cash, Danny risks his chances of reconciling with ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts).
The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon), a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes (Clooney) uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Clooney) bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family. Also featuring the voices of Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and Owen Wilson.
In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts (Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson) search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. On their journey they come across many comical characters and incredible situations. Based upon Homer’s ‘Odyssey’.
Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a brilliant medical engineer on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space.
The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
When a disc containing memoirs of former CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt), they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo, and those in their orbit. Clooney plays Harry Pfarrer, a U.S. Marshal having an affair with Cox’s wife (Tilda Swinton).
Meet Jack Foley (Clooney), a smooth criminal who bends the law and is determined to make one last heist. Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) is a federal marshal who chooses all the right moves … and all the wrong guys. Now they’re willing to risk it all to find out if there’s more between them than just the law.
Famous movie actor Jay Kelly (Clooney) embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager, Ron (Adam Sandler).
With his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King (Clooney) takes his daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker (Matthew Lillard), who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.
Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham (Clooney) spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman (Vera Farmiga) who causes him to rethink his transient life. Also starring Anna Kendrick.
George Clooney in ‘Michael Clayton’. Photo: Warne Bros.
A law firm brings in its “fixer” (Clooney) to remedy the situation after a lawyer (Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit. Also starring Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Adam Sandler and Oscar winner Laura Dern to talk about their work on ‘Jay Kelly’, Dern’s first reaction to the screenplay, Sandler’s approach to his character, working with George Clooney, and reuniting with director Noah Baumbach.
(L to R) Laura Dern and Adam Sandler star in ‘Jay Kelly’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Sandler and Dern, as well as George Clooney and Emily Mortimer.
Moviefone: To begin with, Laura, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and the way you approached playing this character?
Laura Dern: I mean, I fell in love with the script. Before we ever read the script, Noah saying that he had written something, and he wanted us to be part of it is just a yes immediately and a please. We didn’t know for sure our characters or exactly what it was and the evolution of his writing process and then he and Emily (Mortimer) got together. We’d get little bits and pieces. So, it was incredible reading it and knowing that he wanted to make a movie about not missing it. He talked about that, and he talks about reverse engineering from the last line of the movie, which is what he thought of first and that was so beautiful. Then all he had to say was, “I was going to get to be with Adam.” The greatest gift possible, and to be with George. It was true family.
MF: Adam, can you talk about your approach to your character, and did you draw influence from any real-life people you know or have worked with?
Adam Sandler: Sure. I have a team. Laura has a team. Clooney has a team. We all have people who grew up with us, worked with us and feel the highs and feel the times where you say, “I got to make a move and do something different,” or that kind of stuff, and they back you up and you always feel comfort with them. I love being a teammate like this for Clooney’s character. We were excited to make a movie together. We’ve been talking about this a long time.
MF: Adam, George told us that he was very excited to make this movie with you. What was your experience like working with him?
AS: All of us kind of got more in love with each other and became family. George does not like to talk about himself much. He just talks about you, how he can help you and who you should call. He goes, “You got to make sure you do this.” He looks out for your health; he looks out for the best place to eat and what’s the best gadget to use when you’re working out. He’s a stud. He’s just a nice person and he goes out of his way. When you talk about him, he’s just like, “No, no, no, no, no. Let’s not.” He doesn’t want to talk about himself much.
MF: Laura, what was it like for you working with George?
LD: I mean, just fierce loyalty beyond measure, there for us. If it’s the hardest moment or the most casual conversation about something we need to have or a meal we need to try, or an experience he wants us to have. “Oh, you got to see this thing. You guys, it’s a 20-minute drive. You got to go.”
Noah Baumbach attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
MF: Finally, you’ve both worked with director Noah Baumbach before, but what was it like reuniting with him on this movie?
AS: I mean, you give yourself to every thought he has. You have some moments where you bring thoughts up and try to connect more with what you’re doing or what you’re saying or where you’re at in the movie, but he just has a gentle way of guiding you and saying exactly what he’s going after, and you trust his vision. That’s a good feeling. You just say, “All right. Whatever Noah’s looking for, let me make sure I get it because it’s all part of his plan.” You have room, but it’s still word for word. You want to say it. He likes when you nail it. When I first read this thing, I enjoyed the way it was phrased, so let me make sure I phrase it just like that.
LD: I mean, that’s so perfectly put. I would just add that, as you said, in the rhythm, there’s a musicality to language for him, but there’s nothing strident, like you’re there and he wants you to try it the way that feels true to you. It’s wild to have it be so specific and meticulous and then have all the room in the world.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Oscar winner George Clooney to talk about his work on ‘Jay Kelly’, why he signed on to the project before reading the script, if he could relate to the character, why he wanted to work with Adam Sandler, and what he learned from collaborating with director Noah Baumbach.
George Clooney stars in ‘Jay Kelly’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Emily Mortimer.
Moviefone: To begin with, I heard that you signed on to this project before reading the script because you were so excited to work with Adam Sandler and director Noah Baumbach. Can you talk about that, and have you ever done that before?
George Clooney: Yeah. I got a call, I was doing ‘Out of Sight’, and I got a call from the Coenbrothers. They said, “We’re going to send you a script if you want to do it.” I said, “I’m going to do it,” before (I read it). It was ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ So, I’ve had a couple of times. There are directors in our business that you want to work with, and you would work with under any circumstances. I’d do the same thing with Alexander Payne if he called me or (Steven) Soderbergh obviously, and Alfonso Cuarón, some directors I’ve been very lucky to work with. Jason Reitman is a friend. But then I read it, and I thought, “Well, this is a really exciting project to do.” I know it sounds unusual to say but there aren’t that many great scripts. There aren’t that many great projects that you get to be a part of. When you get older, the parts become less and less. So, to be 64 years old and have somebody bring a script and a role like this, I just feel very lucky.
MF: I’ve also heard you say that when you did read the screenplay, you didn’t relate to your character. What did you mean by that and as an actor, is it better to not relate to the character because it gives you more objectivity in the performance?
GC: Well, I think you must find a way to relate. When I see the movie, I get why people go, “Oh, there’s a lot of similarity.” But when I read it, this character, he’s a guy who lives with just regret. He lives with all these things, these roads he didn’t travel, these things that he missed in life. I feel as if, for me, in general, although there’s always regret, it doesn’t fill my days and nights. When you get to the fork in the road, I’ve tended to take the more difficult fork. I’ve felt that, although I failed, which you can live with failure, it’s much easier to live with failure than it is to live with regret. So, when I read the script, it didn’t dawn on me that that it could be who I was. It just dawned on me that I was interested in playing a guy who didn’t take those turns.
MF: I know that you’ve been friends with Adam Sandler for a long time, what was it like to finally work with him on this film?
GC: Well, Adam’s a wonderful actor. That’s what sometimes people forget because he does broad comedies too and does stand-up and things. So, sometimes it gets lost in the idea that he really is a beautiful actor, and we’ve been friends for 30 years. I knew he’d be great in the part, and then the minute we got on the set, it was easy. The rehearsal process was fun. There’s a certain amount of confidence in actors, particularly of a certain age, when they’re not trying to own every scene. They’re kind of actively trying to give it to the other person. Adam and I felt that we were both going, “Oh, you get that. You take that.” There’s a kindness to that, that comes off, I think, on screen.
MF: Finally, what did you learn from watching the way Noah Baumbach makes movies that you might want to adopt yourself the next time you direct a film?
GC: Well, that’s an interesting question. For the most part, the directors that I’ve worked with don’t rehearse. They don’t believe in it. The Coen brothers don’t really rehearse, and Soderbergh doesn’t rehearse. They kind of feel like it’s all going to happen, and I’ve always worked that way as a director. I was resistant to rehearsing because I’m going to work whatever way the director wants. I think rehearsal is an interesting thing, particularly on a film that’s so deeply designed into performances. So, I think rehearsal was an interesting thing to watch and to pay attention to, and maybe something that can be more applied as time goes on.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
(L to R) George Clooney, Noah Baumbach and Adam Sandler attend the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
‘Jay Kelly‘ follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on an unexpectedly profound journey through Europe, where both men are forced to confront the choices they’ve made and the legacies they’ll leave behind. Moviefone was in attendance at an in-person press conference, which featured director Noah Baumbach and stars George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Laura Dern.
George Clooney admits that he was so excited to get to work with Adam Sandler that he was already planning to do ‘Jay Kelly’ before even reading the script.
George Clooney: I got a call that said that Noah’s gonna do a film with Adam Sandler and was I interested. And I said, “Yeah, I’ll do it.” And they said, “Do you wanna read the script?” I said, “Well, yes, I’ll read the script, but I’m gonna do it.” Because I knew, the track record of Noah and I really wanted to work with Adam. And then I read the script and I couldn’t believe my luck. I thought this was such a beautiful part. It’s funny, a lot of people have come up to me and said, it’s like you are playing yourself. It’s like, well, I don’t have the regrets that this guy has. My kids still like me. They’re eight. That might change. But at this point, they still like me. All the people that I’ve worked with, I still work with. I have a very different life than this guy. So, I didn’t really relate to him.
2) Adam Sandler Explains How He Was Able To Use Inspiration From His Management Team To Shape His Character
Adam Sandler plays Jay Kelly’s manager in the film, and while he was sure to craft his own character, he did take a bit of inspiration from his team.
Adam Sandler: We have teams. We are on the other side of it. You do see how much work goes into what they’re doing. And my favorite line, I said this on our side is, “You’re Jay Kelly, but I’m Jay Kelly, too.” I feel like our teams feel the same way. My character, it was very easy to love George ‘cause he’s just a great person, a great man to be around, very giving man. And I do, when he’s talking, I look at him and I say, wow, I could listen to him all day. I feel like it was just nice. My character loved the person like our teams they truly love us. And they believe in what we’re going after and the ups and they feel the downs. That’s what we were going after.
3) Noah Baumbach Says ‘Jay Kelly’ Is About The Price Of Fame & Regrets
Noah Baumbach attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
When asked about what ‘Jay Kelly’ means to him, director Noah Baumbach says it is about the realization that we only have one life, and we should do our very best with it.
Noah Baumbach: This movie is about, I think, at a certain point in life, discovering that, I mean, it’s glaringly obvious and shocking at the same time, realization that this is the only time we’re gonna do this. I think that’s what Jay comes to in some crooked, wild way in this movie, which is, I don’t have another one of these and these are the choices I’ve made. This is my life. So, what am I gonna do? I think that’s something that everybody has their own version of. When Emily Mortimer and I wrote the script, it was something we talked a lot about. The trappings of the movie star, the world around him, all of that was a world we know and was very interesting and compelling. But I really was more interested in these other emotional, psychological, essentially confronting mortality.
4) Laura Dern & Adam Sandler Admit That They Remember A Lot Of Moments In Their Lives By Relating Them To The Projects They Were Working On At The Time
In ‘Jay Kelly’, the title character goes through his memories, relating each one to the project he was filming at the time. Adam Sandler and Laura Dern admit they do the same.
Adam Sandler: I remember a sad one, ’50 First Dates’. I remember, literally, we were going to Hawaii to shoot it. I got the phone call the day before we started shooting that my dad was sick. And then I remember that entire movie was just about going home every weekend from Hawaii to Florida to see my dad. So every time someone brings that movie up to me, I love that movie and I love Drew and I love the whole process, but I do always click with that memory of, oh man, that’s when my dad got sick, and that was a roughie.
Laura Dern attends Netflix film ‘Jay Kelly’, NYFF Main Slate Premiere and Q&A on September 29, 2025 in New York City. Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.
Laura Dern: Like the film, there is the one reality of how cinema is our memories. How we are all attached to our story through those markers of film. But for me, the thing I think of, and this is a perfect moment to reflect on it, is the found family that comes with any, if we’re blessed to have, a vocation, a passion in our life. How we find our people. And my three favorite people are all sitting next to me.
5) George Clooney Answers The Question, Would He Choose Fame Again If Given The Chance
George Clooney attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
The main theme of ‘Jay Kelly’ is learning to enjoy the one life you have and treat others how you wish to be treated. It also explores the price of fame, as discussed earlier. George Clooney was asked if he would choose to be famous again, if given the chance to do it all over again.
George Clooney: When I was a young guy I used to watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? I was cutting tobacco for $3 an hour and I’d hear some famous actor complain about their life, and I’d be like, F you, I’m cutting tobacco. So, I don’t find any reason to complain about things. I caught that brass ring. I got very lucky in my career and in my life and the chance to work with these people. Would I choose it again? Yeah. Fame is a funny thing because fame offers you the opportunity to be able to do the kind of projects you want to do. But you run towards it like a bug light and then when you get there, you really get zapped. There’s a lot of other pieces that come into play. But the truth is, what fame has afforded me is the ability to work on projects like this. I’m 64 years old. These parts don’t come around very often. I feel very lucky just to be able to get that opportunity. So, if fame has afforded me some of that, then that’s been an extraordinary experience for me. And the rest of it, yeah, there are things that you can’t do and there’s things that are limiting. But it’s a lot worse cutting tobacco.
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
In Theaters on limited release on November 14 (before landing on Netflix December 5), ‘Jay Kelly’ is the new movie from Noah Baumbach, who tends to specialize in putting his characters into emotional crisis. Here, he’s turned his attention to Hollywood.
Noam Baumbach’s movies usually find characters at some sort of dramatic crossroads –– the marital fireworks of ‘Marriage Story’ or the family dynamics of ‘The Meyerowitz Stories.’
‘Jay Kelly’ is no different, even if the crises seem less urgent when focused on a wealthy movie star whose biggest issue is that his youngest daughter is about to fly the nest and he’s also reconsidering his life and career in the light of his mentor’s death.
Baumbach in some ways feels like he’s on autopilot here, the story (he co-wrote the script with Emily Mortimer, who has a small role in the movie) fueled by some very familiar beats and feelings. This is a plotline we’ve seen done before and, honestly, better.
Oddly, the real story, and the one that is much more compelling is between Sandler’s Ron and Dern’s Liz, Jay’s longtime manager and publicist, who have their own history and find themselves seeing their relationship complicate despite Ron’s seemingly happy marriage to Greta Gerwig’s Lois.
Baumbach keeps the direction mostly light on its feet, though some repetitive touches (such as Kelly’s rider containing cheesecake he doesn’t even like) weigh things down.
And the use of clunky flashbacks to explore our hero’s conflicted feelings doesn’t help.
Clooney brings his considerable star wattage to the title role, and is always watchable. It’s just an issue that the role never breaks free of a basic movie structure.
Sandler and Dern are superb in their supporting roles that have more nuance and flavor to them, while Greta Gerwig is also great as Sandler’s character’s wife.
‘Jay Kelly’ is far from Baumbach’s best, even with the cast giving their all. It’s emotionally formulaic, but wanders along amiably enough that you won’t be insulted you gave it a shot.
‘Jay Kelly’ receives 65 out of 100.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
But that’s about to change, as, per Deadline, they are now both on board to star in ‘In Love,’ which adapts Amy Bloom’s memoir ‘In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss,’ based on a painful moment in her life.
Weitz worked with Bloom to adapt her bestselling 2022 memoir, which follows what happens when she began to notice changes in her husband, Brian: He retired early from a new job he loved; he withdrew from close friendships; he talked mostly about the past. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and their long walks and talks stopped. Their world was altered forever when an MRI confirmed what they could no longer ignore: Brian had Alzheimer’s disease.
Forced to confront the truth of the diagnosis and its impact on the future he had envisioned, Brian was determined to die on his feet, not live on his knees. Supporting each other in their last journey together, Brian and Amy made the unimaginably difficult and painful decision to go to Dignitas, an organization based in Switzerland that empowers a person to end their own life with dignity and peace.
Here’s what Weitz had to say about working on the new movie:
“Amy’s memoir is a contemporary fable of love, wit and existential stakes. I can’t wait to do it justice with this amazing cast.”
Where else can we see George Clooney and Annette Bening?
‘In Love’ has yet to lock down a distributor, so there’s no release date on the books yet. But with a cast like this, it’s surely not going to be long until the movie has a home.
Margot Robbie is already aboard to star and produce.
Lee Isaac Chung will call the shots.
Looks like the tide is truly turning on the ‘Ocean’s movies. Though perhaps given the true themes of the franchise, it should be the odds are switching in their favor.
But just a few days after George Clooney offered a positive update on the status of the latest main entry, ‘Ocean’s Fourteen’, comes an update on the prequel movie set in the same cinematic universe.
The cast of 2001’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The script remains a secret, though previous stories hinted that it’ll be set in 1962, and focus on a pair of thieves who target expensive earrings during a mansion event followed by a plot to steal precious diamond in Monte Carlo.
Seeking payback after something goes wrong, they recruit a team to sabotage his Monaco Grand Prix victory and swipe the gem. And, if the connection to the ‘Ocean’s franchise holds true, they might just be the parents of Danny Ocean, as played by Clooney in the main movies.
This marks a change in casting terms –– for a while, it looked like the movie would be a ‘Barbie’ reunion for Robbie and Ryan Gosling, but Gosling has since dropped out of talks. Go back to your mojo dojo casa house, Ken!
Cooper, meanwhile, has wanted to work with Robbie for a while now, and finally seems to be getting the opportunity. He enthused about his future co-star’s worth ethic to Variety:
Cooper’s latest directorial effort, comedy drama ‘Is This Thing On?’ recently premiered at the New York Film Festival.
The movie, inspired by the life of British comedian John Bishop, stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern, with Cooper taking a supporting role.
When will the ‘Ocean’s’ prequel movie be on screens?
We’ve yet to learn when this one will land in cinemas, but the Cooper development suggests it’ll be shooting next year, so 2027 is a likely release year.
(L to R) George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. Photo: Warner Bros.
Preview:
George Clooney says ‘Ocean’s 14’ budget has been approved.
The movie, with director David Leitch attached, should be shooting next year.
Stars Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle are all likely to return.
It has been years since we last saw the heist-happy crew of the ‘Ocean’s’ movies. There has been chatter about an ‘Ocean’s 14’ in recent years, and things are clearly moving forward. ‘The Fall Guy’s David Leitch was reported as in talks to direct in January, and now, per star/producer George Clooney says that it’s looking good for production in 2026.
“We just got the budget approved at Warner Bros. and we’re trying to set up. It’s just scheduling, so it’s just setting a start date for us. Probably start in about nine or 10 months, shooting.”
The cast of 2001’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The original ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy, directed by Steven Soderbergh, launched in 2001 with ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ a critical favorite and a commercial hit with just over $450 million at the worldwide box office.
