George Clooney has officially found funding for his next directing effort.

The former ER star will direct The Ides Of March, an adaptation of the play, Farragut North, about a young political strategist, to be played by (finest actor of his generation) Ryan Gosling, who is involved in a governor's campaign for office. Paul Giamatti will be an opposing strategist, while Clooney will play Gosling's boss - the governor. The film is based on memoirs of an actual campaign, and Clooney knows this area extremely well - his father recently ran for office, but failed to win. The film is loosely based on the failed presidential campaign of Howard Dean

Leatherheads didn't work quite as well as it could have, but Clooney has proved himself a strong handler of difficult material; Good Night And Good Luck still stands as fantastic piece of work. Looking forward to him and Gosling playing off each other.

Follow Mike on Twitter