CALICO JOE: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, & Bob Dylan to adapt John Grisham’s Baseball Novel

George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Bob Dylan are adapting Calico Joe

There are probably countless young, idealistic filmmakers who thought they had the perfect material for Bob Dylan to interpret, but the Nobel Prize Winner has been largely absent in cinema.

That’s about to change, and not quite how you’d think. Dylan has signed on with writing/directing team George Clooney and Grant Heslov to adapt John Grisham’s novel Calico Joe.

The novel is a “moving story about fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball.” Blending fact with fiction, characters interact with real-life figures like Yogi Berra.

Clooney is attached to direct, with Heslov producing under their Smokehouse Productions banner. Dylan is producing under his Grey Water Mark Productions.

Dylan’s only producing credit Is on an obscure, never-released 1967 film with Richard Manuel and Tiny Tim entitled Bob Dylan’s Circus Movie. Beyond that, his directorial effort, Renaldo and Clara, is unfairly maligned and his acting outside of Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid has been described as wooden.

His contributions to cinema, including the stellar Oscar-winning® song for Wonder Boys, have mostly been soundtrack-related.

“George and Grant see in this book what I see in it; a powerful story that will resonate with young and old alike,” said Dylan in a statement. “People in all walks of life will be able to relate to it.”

But if this move seems out of left field, you haven’t been paying attention. Dylan has always been a cipher, and the early years may be intentional, but in his later years, he’s settled into embracing his more personal interests. That Christmas album wasn’t entirely a joke, even though he saw the humor in it. And his personal interests certainly align with a heartfelt baseball story. One of his more recent ventures, his Theme Time Radio Hour on XM, has certainly displayed a love of nostalgia.

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