A First Look at Hulu’s Adaptation of “Catch-22”

After much anticipation Hulu released the first images from their upcoming limited series Catch-22, based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Joseph Heller.

The 1961 satirical novel is set during World War II and mainly follows the story of Yossarian (Christopher Abbott). Hulu describes the upcoming project as “the story of the incomparable, artful dodger, Yossarian, a US Air Force bombardier in World War II who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy, but rather his own army which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to avoid his military assignments, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule which specifies that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers which are real and immediate is the process of a rational mind; a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but a request to be removed from duty is evidence of sanity and therefore makes him ineligible to be relieved from duty.”

The six-episode limited series is produced by George Clooney & Grant Heslov’s production company Smokehouse Pictures. Clooney will star in the series while also serving as executive producer and director. This marks the Hollywood icon’s first major television project since leaving ER and becoming an Oscar winning actor and producer.

Catch-22 features a star-studded and Emmy friendly cast including Clooney, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie, Christopher Abbott, and Rafi Gavron (who has received a recent boost from roles in A Star Is Born and Homecoming).

With no date currently set, Hulu plans on releasing Catch-22 in the spring of 2019 – just in time for Emmy consideration.