John Shearer/WireImage.com; Jeff Vespa/WireImage.comGeorge Clooney has gone through his share of sizzling actresses. Now he has his sights set on Ryan Gosling.
Say what?!
The Oscar-winning hunk is set to direct and star in The Ides of March, a political thriller starring Gosling as young operative trying maneuver through a presidential primary campaign.
The drama is based on the acclaimed 2008 Broadway play Farragut North loosely inspired by Howard Dean's 2004 presidential run.
Clooney will play the candidate looking to score the Democratic nomination. Evan Rachel Wood is onboard as the trouble-magnet intern; Paul Giamatti costars as a rival campaign manager; and Marisa Tomei will play a New York Times reporter following the hijinks.
Clooney will produce the flick with an assist from another A-lister: Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way Productions.
Cameras start rolling in February in Michigan and Ohio.