First Look: ‘The Boys in the Boat’ Photos and Featurette

Director George Clooney opens MGM’s behind-the-scenes The Boys in the Boat featurette with a reminder that rowing in the 1920s was one of the most attended sports in the United States. Clooney’s new film tells the true story of an underdog team made up of, as Clooney describes them, “strong, tough kids” who were poor and competed in rowing in order to stay in college.

Based on Daniel James Brown’s book, The Boys in the Boat stars Joel Edgerton as Al Ulbrickson, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, Chris Diamantopoulos as Royal Brougham, and James Wolk as Coach Bolles. Bruce Herbelin-Earle plays Shorty Hunt, Wil Coban is Jim McMillan, Hadley Robinson is Joyce Sidmar, Sam Strike is Roger Morris, and Thomas Elms is Chuck Day.

The ensemble also includes Joel Phillimore as Gordy Adam, Tom Varey as Johnny White, Jack Mulhern as Don Hume, and Luke Slattery as Bobby Moch.

George Clooney directs from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith. Clooney and Grant Heslov produce, with Kevin Ulrich, Barbara A. Hall, Gary Barber, and Peter Oillataguerre executive producing.

MGM is targeting a December 25, 2023 theatrical release for the PG-13 drama.

The Boys in the Boat George Clooney
Director George Clooney on the set of ‘THE BOYS IN THE BOAT,’ an Amazon MGM Studios film (Photo credit: Laurie Sparham
© 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

The Plot, Courtesy of MGM:

The Boys in the Boat is a sports drama based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction novel written by Daniel James Brown. The film, directed by George Clooney, is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world.

The Boys in the Boat
Bruce Herbelin-Earle stars as Shorty Hunt, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, and Wil Coban as Jim McMillan (Photo credit: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)
The Boys in the Boat
Chris Diamantopoulos stars as Royal Brougham, James Wolk as Coach Bolles, and Joel Edgerton as Al Ulbrickson (Photo credit: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)
The Boys in the Boat
Sam Strike stars as Roger Morris, Thomas Elms as Chuck Day, Joel Phillimore as Gordy Adam, Tom Varey as Johnny White, Wil Coban as Jim McMillan, Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Shorty Hunt, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, Jack Mulhern as Don Hume and Luke Slattery as Bobby Moch (Photo credit: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)
The Boys in the Boat
Callum Turner stars as Joe Rantz and Hadley Robinson as Joyce Sidmar (Photo credit: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc)