George Clooney and producing partner Grant Heslov will take a trip back to the ’60s for their next effort, a film about comedians Tom and Dicky Smothers. Specifically, the movie will focus on the brothers’ show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which went from clean-cut humor to a promoting the politics of the counter-culture movement. The show was also notable for featuring cutting-edge music acts such as The Who and Jefferson Airplane as well as providing a start for future stars like Steve Martin and Rob Reiner who were part of the writing staff. The film will be based on the David Bianculli book Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story Of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. No word on whether Clooney will take on acting or directing duties for the project, but since he’s involved, expect to see some notable names attached.

This material seems well within Clooney’s wheelhouse, like a more pop culture version of Good Night, and Good Luck. Although I’ve only ever seen clips of the show, the time period and the people involved give me enough reason to anticipate the film. Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman have been hired to pen the screenplay. Interestingly, the duo recently finished writing Atari, a Black List script about Nolan Bushnell, “who created the video game industry and Atari, gave Steve Jobs a job, and paved the way for the computer age.” How do you feel about Clooney and Heslov tackling ’60s politics and social mores for their next effort?