Hulu has released the firstCatch-22trailer for the upcoming limited series adaptation ofJoseph Heller’s seminal novel. The six-episode series hails from director and executive producerGeorge Clooney, who also has a supporting role in the cast (he originally took a lead role, but recast himself withKyle Chandlerso he had more time to focus on directing the episodes).GirlsalumChristopher Abbottstars as Yossarian, a U.S. Air Force bombardier in World War II who is furious not only at the enemy who continues trying to kill him, but also at his own army which regularly puts him in harm’s way.
The playful, farcical tone on display in this trailer brings to mind some of Clooney’s work with theCoen Brothers, including the underratedBurn After Reading. Visually it’s striking (The AmericancinematographerMartin Ruheis behind the camera), and the performances appear to be exactly on point. Clooney is coming off the underwhelming featureSuburbicon, so hopefully this is a nice rebound for him as a filmmaker.
Clooney directs two episodes of the series, while his Smokehouse Pictures partnerGrant Heslov(The Men Who Stare At Goats) directs two andEllen Kuras(Ozark) directs another two. The series is written byLuke Davies(Lion) andDavid Michôd(The Rover).
Check out theCatch-22trailer below. The series also starsHugh Laurie(Major de Coverley),Giancarlo Giannini(Marcello),Daniel David Stewart(Milo),Rafi Gavron(Aarfy),Austin Stowell(Nately),Graham Patrick Martin(Orr),Gerran Howell(Kid Sampson),Jon Rudnitsky(McWatt),Kevin J. O’Connor(Korn),Pico Alexander(Clevinger),Tessa Ferrer(Nurse Duckett),Lewis Pullman(Major Major),Josh Bold(Dunbar),Jay Paulson(Chaplain) andJulie Ann Emery(Marion).
All six episodes ofCatch-22will debut on Hulu on May 17th.
Here’s the official synopsis forCatch-22:
Based on Joseph Heller’s seminal novel of the same name,Catch-22is the story of the incomparable, artful dodger, Yossarian (Christopher Abbott), a US Air Force bombardier in World War II who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy, but rather his own army which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to avoid his military assignments, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule which specifies that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers which are real and immediate is the process of a rational mind; a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but a request to be removed from duty is evidence of sanity and therefore makes him ineligible to be relieved from duty.
