George Clooney, 59, and Julia Roberts, 53, will reunite in the romantic comedy Ticket To Paradise… 20 years after they starred in Ocean’s Eleven
Hollywood vets George Clooney and Julia Roberts are teaming up for the ultimate romantic comedy.
The 59-year-old heartthrob is reuniting on screen with America’s sweetheart, 53, for a new movie Ticket To Paradise, their first project together since 2016’s Money Monster.
In the film — which begins shooting later this year — the pair will play a divorced couple who fly to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they made 25 years prior.
Reunion role: George Clooney, 59, and Julia Roberts, 53, are set to reunite on screen as a divorced couple in the new romantic comedy Ticket To Paradise which will begin filming later this year; seen in 2016
Early days: In Ocean’s Eleven in 2001 with Clooney, Roberts and Brad Pitt
The film is set to be directed by Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) and Clooney’s production company Smokehouse Pictures is co-producing with Roberts’ Red Om Films and Working Title.
Per Deadline ‘the project came together quickly’ and streaming services circled around the movie, however Universal’s top tier guys said they saw the project as a theatrical feature.
Clooney and Roberts first became close friends after appearing on screen together in 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven.
In a 2014 interview with Vanity Fair, he revealed he coaxed Julia into doing the project with a $20 bill, despite having never met her before.
Power team: The pair initially met for the first time at the Chateau Marmont ahead of Ocean’s Eleven, him coaxing her to do the project with a $20 bill; pictured 2001
They do well together: The actors in Money Monster in 2016 for director Jodie Foster
‘We’d [he and director Steven Soderbergh] heard she was making $20M a picture at that point so we offered her $20,’ he laughed, Roberts chiming in, ‘They sent me the script with a $20 bill in it. ‘
The friends also spoke about their on and off screen relationship, Clooney saying that the first word that comes to mind when he thinks of Julia is ‘elegant.’
They both said they value a sense of camaraderie on set; ‘That’s how we function – knowing this is a team, and a family, and a group,’ Roberts said.
In 2013 she presented him with the Stanley Kubrick Award for Excellence in Film at the BAFTA awards, him turning to her and saying, ‘It has been such a pleasure to watch the woman you have become,’ before jabbing, ‘It’s very hard for me to be just straight nice because she’ll get me later.’
Shared lives: The pair’s friendship has spanned 20 years, with both expressing love for each others spouses, George saying they’re all like ‘a family’; seen in 2005
They also both have love for each others’ spouses (Danny Moder and Amal Clooney), George previously saying: ‘It was so much fun to have her meet my wife and have both of them be such good friends and hit it off so well….Danny and I are great friends and love each other. What’s really fun is it’s really like a family.’
The duo sat down with People in 2016 while in Cannes for Money Monster as they spoke about not being just ‘Hollywood friends,’ throughout their decade plus friendship.
‘What a relief we’re not Hollywood friends. I just said to him an hour ago, “Thank God we really do like each other, or we’d be in hell”,’ said Roberts.
True friendship: In a 2016 interview with People they spoke about having a real friendship, Roberts saying, ‘What a relief we’re not Hollywood friends…or we’d be in hell’