George Clooney to Direct ‘The Yankee Comandante,’ Based on New Yorker Article

George Clooney is attached to direct a film based on an in-depth New Yorker piece by David Grann, titled 'The Yankee Comandante.'

"The Yankee What Now?" you ask. Read on, we say.

According to Deadline, Clooney will direct the film for Focus Features and co-produce with partner Grant Heslov.

The story follows William Alexander Morgan, a man who helped Cuban rebels overthrow dictator Fulgencio Batista. He received the decoration of "Comandante," the highest honor bestowed upon a foreigner, and the highest one given since Che Guevara. Morgan was accused of being an operative for U.S. Intelligence, and was then imprisoned and almost killed by firing squad. Meanwhile, the U.S. government was similarly wary of his dealings in Cuba -- so much so that even J. Edgar Hoover was at a loss as to who he was really working for and what he was doing down there.

Clooney's last directorial effort was 2011's 'The Ides of March,' a political thriller in which he co-starred alongside Ryan Gosling, making 'The Yankee Comandante' a thematically worthy successor. His other directing credits include 'Leatherheads,' 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' and the underrated 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.' Clooney was nominated this year for an Oscar for his acting work in Alexander Payne's 'The Descendants,' and can be seen next in Alfonso Cuaron's highly anticipated 'Gravity.'