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George Clooney will direct and star in the period drama The Monuments Men, and has enlisted other Hollywood heavyweights including Daniel Craig, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett.

According to showbiz website Deadline.com, the film will also star The Artist's Jean Dujardin, Argo's John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville and Bob Balaban.

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The drama, co-written by Clooney, takes place during the final chapter of Germany's rule during World War II. In a race against time, a crew of art historians and museum curators unite to recover valuable art works stolen by the Nazis before they are destroyed by Adolf Hitler.

The film is set to begin production March 1, 2013 in Europe, Deadline reports.

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