George Clooney Finds Funding for 'The Ides of March'

Exclusive Media Group and Cross Creek Prods. have stepped forward to finance and co-produce George Clooney's "The Ides of March."

They will join Clooney and Grant Heslov's Smoke House and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way, which are producing.

Clooney is directing and starring in the film, which is based on Beau Willimon's politically themed play "Farragut North."

The pic also stars Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood.

Clooney and Heslov have adapted the screenplay with Willimon. Clooney is set to play Governor Morris, a candidate running in the presidential primary race for the Democratic Party ticket, with Gosling cast as his press spokesman. Giamatti plays a rival campaign manager, Tomei appears as a New York Times reporter, and Wood plays an intern for the campaign.

Filming will begin in February in Michigan and Ohio.

The financing deal was announced Wednesday by Exclusive co-chairmen Guy East and Nigel Sinclair and Cross Creek president Brian Oliver.

CAA, which packaged and raised the financing for the project, is handling the film's domestic distribution rights on behalf of the filmmakers.

Exclusive Films International, under East and Alex Walton, president of international sales and distribution, will handle international distribution, offering the film to buyers at AFM, which starts next week.