JonathanMahler Tagged Articles at Cinematical

When it comes to George Clooney's political leanings, I have to tell you, I'm a little conflicted. Does it make me a hypocrite that I cringe whenever most actors wax poetic on the state of the union, but whenever Clooney gets a little high on the horse I tend to give him a pass -- maybe it's because I usually agree with him, or maybe like most of the world, I just can't seem to say no to 'The Clooney'. So while most of Clooney's political fare has been a relatively easy sell, his latest politically charged flick definitely will not fall into that category. Luckily for him, he has found the perfect partner in crime. Variety reports that Clooney has joined forces with Liberal darling Aaron Sorkin to write a script for the film version of Jonathan Mahler's book, The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power.

Clooney is producing under his Smoke House banner, and is reportedly looking to direct and star as the Navy lawyer, Charles Swift. Along with the Georgetown U. law professor Neal Katyal, Swift worked tirelessly to ensure a fair trail for Osama bin Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan. Hamdan was captured back in 2001, and was convicted and sentenced to 5 1/2 years for providing material support to Al-Qaeda after being held at the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison. So even if you don't agree with Clooney and Sorkin's politics -- and I can guarantee that there are a lot of you out there who don't. I'll just be keeping my fingers crossed that The Challenge doesn't keep Sorkin so busy he doesn't have time for that other legal drama we have been hearing so much about.

So where does that leave me with actors and their politics? Plenty has already been said on the subject, so I won't rehash it all here. But while Iraq movies continue to crumble at the box-office, and the only presidents we are willing to dissect are the ones long past. I have to give Clooney credit for his willingness to tackle one hell of an unpopular subject -- don't you?

There's a rumor running all around the web that George Clooney is going to take on some controversial subject matter and film the story of Osama bin Laden's driver. It hasn't hit the trades yet, but according to The Observer, Smokehouse has bought the rights to Jonathan Mahler's The Challenge, a book about Salim Hamdan -- a Guantanamo Bay inmate recently sentenced to jail for his involvement with Osama.

The project details Hamdan's capture and trial, which went all the way to the Supreme Court. The man has been in US custody for seven years, and has just received a sentence shorter than the time he had to wait to receive it -- five and a half years. Rumor has it that Clooney might also grab a starring role in the film playing US navy lawyer Lieutenant Commander Charles Swift, who defended Hamdan. I imagine it will be as much about Swift's story as it is about Hamdan (especially if Clooney takes the role). The case cost the lawyer his marriage, and got him passed over for a promotion.

Should all of this proceed, who would you cast as Hamdan?