George Clooney's adaptation of 'Catch 22' reflects on the bureaucracy and ridiculousness of war
George Clooney, who is returning to television after 20 years with an adaptation of the classic novel “Catch 22,” said Monday that the Hulu series set during World War II aims to tell a timeless story about “insanity.” of war.
In a preview for reporters, Clooney said he initially resisted the idea of using Joseph Heller's 1961 book about a U.S. bomber squadron that takes on the bigwigs of the military bureaucracy. “It’s a beloved novel,” said Clooney, who also served as executive producer and directed two episodes of the series “Catch-22,” the book’s original name, at a Television Critics Association event.
“I didn’t want to get involved with that.” He said he was convinced because the writers “did an incredible job untangling these characters” for the six-episode miniseries, which will debut on Hulu on May 17.
This allows the show to go beyond Heller's plot, which Clooney said is intended to "make fun of all the paperwork and the bureaucracy of war and the ridiculousness of war."
“I think it still makes sense,” he added. “We all spend days and nights worrying about these situations. This story is simply reflecting on the insanity of that.” .
Set in Sardinia, the series – which is not scheduled for Brazil – will be shown on Sky Atlantic, in Italy.
By Lisa Richwine/Reuters
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