George Clooney has made it very clear that he’s not closing the door on a trip back into the world of medical dramas. In fact, he’s practically holding the door open himself. While promoting his new Netflix film Jay Kelly, the actor told Entertainment Tonight that he’d like to jump into Noah Wyle’s hit HBO Max series The Pitt. He said,
I’d do The Pitt in a heartbeat.
It was a surprisingly enthusiastic confession, especially considering the storm brewing around the show. The lawsuit claims that The Pitt is essentially an unapproved reboot of ER. It is the very show where Clooney and Wyle became household names.
The Pitt Faces Major Lawsuit Claiming It’s an Unapproved ER Revival
The drama behind the drama is almost spicier than anything happening in the fictional hospital. Michael Crichton’s widow, Sherri Crichton, has filed a major lawsuit alleging that The Pitt is basically ER wearing a new nametag. And according to her filing (via Variety), it’s not just “inspired by” ER. She claims “The Pitt is ER,” pointing out that it comes from the same longtime executive producer, John Wells, the same writer, the same star in Noah Wyle, and all the same companies that were originally trying to reboot ER directly for Max.
The complaint lays out a timeline. Crichton’s estate says it has “frozen rights” that allow it to approve or deny any reboots of ER. And when John Wells allegedly called her back in November 2022 with a heads-up that Warner Bros. planned to announce the reboot, the conversation didn’t exactly go smoothly. The estate claims Warner Bros. was willing to keep Crichton’s name on the project, but didn’t want to negotiate on what that credit actually meant.
Things escalated from there. The estate says that early talks suggested a “created by” credit for Michael Crichton or a $5 million guaranteed payment. But those offers supposedly evaporated later, and negotiations collapsed. According to the lawsuit, Wells, Wyle, and Warner Bros. then simply made the show anyway. Only now it was called The Pitt, set in Pittsburgh instead of Chicago, even though the bones of the series allegedly looked a whole lot like ER. This is where Clooney’s quote becomes almost eyebrow-raising.
Will George Clooney Reprise His ER Role in The Pitt?
Clooney’s affection for Noah Wyle and the series is clear, but he hasn’t gone knocking on his old co-star’s door just yet. As he put it himself (via ET),
I haven’t talked to him about being on the show because it is his show. I don’t want to interrupt. But I am deeply proud of him, if I’m allowed to be proud of him. Because what a beautiful show it is and what a great success it has been. And what a fun thing to have him continuing on in the tradition.
It’s the kind of quote that reads like a proud older brother bragging about the family star.
A few months earlier, he was just as glowing about both Wyle and The Pitt. “It’s so good,” he said (via Movie Web).
And I have to say, we’ve been really dear friends since, you know, since the show, since we did the pilot of the show. He is just the most honorable, talented young man. I get to say because I’m an old man, and I cannot be happier for his success on the show. The show is just a beautiful show, and he just does a great job with it.
But here’s the catch: if Clooney ever pops up on The Pitt, he won’t be reviving Dr. Doug Ross. The production company insists The Pitt is not an ER reboot, no matter what the lawsuit says. So if Clooney appears, it’ll be in a new role entirely. It will be a fresh character, in a new coat, with a new stethoscope, and no Chicago baggage attached. Whether he eventually steps into that world is anyone’s guess, but with enthusiasm like his, nobody would be shocked if it happens.
Would you like to see Clooney back in scrubs? Let us know in the comments.
