Watch George Clooney and the Coen Brothers Spoof Hollywood's Golden Age in 'Hail, Caesar!' Trailer

Given all those comparisons to Cary Grant, it was inevitable that George Clooney would someday play a golden-age Hollywood movie star. Fortunately, he’s doing it in the most delightful way possible. The Coen brothers’ new comedy Hail, Caesar! stars Clooney as Baird Whitlock, a handsome, but scandal-plagued movie actor who is kidnapped in the middle of shooting a Roman epic. The all-star ensemble also features Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Frances McDormand, and a tap-dancing Channing Tatum. Watch the first trailer above.

Hail, Caesar! is a fictional story based on a real character: Eddie Mannix (played by Josh Brolin), who worked as a “fixer” for MGM’s publicity department from the 1920s through the 1940s. It was Mannix’s job to cover up any potentially scandalous stories about MGM’s big stars, including Clark Gable’s out-of-wedlock child with Loretta Young, Judy Garland’s drug use, and Van Johnson’s homosexuality. The Coens have changed the name of the studio in Hail, Caesar! to Capitol Pictures, and they’re clearly having fun spoofing some of the era’s biggest stars. Scarlett Johansson’s synchroized-swimming chanteuse is obviously inspired by Esther Williams; Channing Tatum’s sailor-suit dance is reminiscent of Gene Kelly in films like On the Town and Anchors Aweigh; and Alden Ehrenreich (Blue Jasmine) plays a young Western star in the vein of Montgomery Clift. The rest of the colorful cast depicts a combination of behind-the-scenes movers and shakers, including Tilda Swinton as a Hedda Hopper-inspired gossip columnist. (It’s the fabulous hats that give her away.) As for Clooney, his character seems to be a mash-up — but since his role suggests Ben Hur, MGM’s most lavish and successful sword-and-sandal drama, there’s likely to be a dash of Charlton Heston.

Hail, Caesar! arrives in theaters on Feb. 5.