George Clooney scales back Venice Film Festival schedule due to illness Clutch Fire

George Clooney is feeling under the weather on the eve of his Venice Film Festival world premiere for Jay Kelly.

According to sources close to the film and its press schedule, Clooney started to feel unwell on Wednesday and was advised to head straight home and rest up ahead of a packed Thursday.

Clooney’s illness forced him to cut short a press junket for the film and skip a dinner with the talent, including director Noah Baumbach, co-star Adam Sandler, and top Netflix executives. 

While it’s said to be nothing serious, news of Clooney’s condition started to become a topic of conversation among journalists on the Lido.

A source indicated that Clooney had no choice but to take the night off out of an abundance of caution in the hope that he could rebound to 100 percent by the time Jay Kelly hits the screen inside Sala Grande. 

“He’s proud of the film and the work of Baumbach and his co-stars,” the source said.

Jay Kelly follows a famous movie actor, played by Clooney, who is on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe with his devoted manager, Ron, played by Sandler. 

According to Baumbach’s director’s statement, “Jay Kelly is about a man looking back at his life and reflecting on the choices, the sacrifices, the successes, the mistakes he’s made. When is it too late to change the course of our lives?”

The Venice Film Festival is shaping up to be one of the starriest festivals in recent memory, with Netflix infusing a healthy dose of movie stars to the festival. 

Other notable films include Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein starring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz, and Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite with Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Anthony Ramos, and Jared Harris.