George Clooney to Star in 'Gravity'

Isn't movie casting really just a game of musical chairs in Hollywood? 

Today we have a big casting update for Alfonso Cuaron's 3D sci-fi thriller Gravity.  Robert Downey Jr. was originally signed on to star opposite of Sandra Bullock, but has now been replaced by George Clooney, according to Variety.com.  Bullock also took on the role after Natalie Portman passed on it, while the project was initially set up at Universal before going over to Warner Bros.  Whew! That's a whole lot of movement for one movie   

In Gravity, Clooney and Bullock will play a pair of astronauts fighting to survive on a remote space station after satellite debris kills the rest of the crew and leaves the station barely intact. 

Clooney has played a spaceman before in the movie Solaris, so he seems like a natural fit for this part.  I do think Downey could've been solid in this role as well.  Bullock is a major upgrade over Portman, in my opinion, and I'm surprised she wasn't the studios' first choice. 

Honestly, I'm much more excited about the writer/director of Gravity in Alfonso Cuaron, and what he'll bring to the film.  He was the man behind one of my favorite movies Children of Men, which if you haven't seen you really need to.

The studio hasn't set a date for Gravity yet.        

Comments

[MM]

Angelina Jolie was originally cast but dropped out and Natalie Portman was just a runner up for the role among others.