George Clooney (Ocean’s Eleven) is reportedly in talks to star in Disney’s 1952, an extraterrestrial pic in the vein of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Written by Damon Lindelof (Star Trek) and  Jeff Jensen, 1952 will be directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles).  Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the picture is said to center on the journey of a middle-aged man and his contact with alien life.  We previously reported that the title is a reference to a banker’s box of files and documents that had been left in Walt Disney’s personal development lab.  The contents of the box were documents and primary source materials that look like someone had been working on a project about alien contact.  Additionally, “1952″ could refer to the appearance of seven UFOs on radar at Washington’s National Airport.  Hit the jump for more, including how this affects Bird’s schedule and chances to direct Star Wars: Episode VII.

Well this is news that’s sure to please the cinephile/nerd/geek community.  Last year, Lost co-creator and Prometheus scribe Damon Lindelof was tapped by Disney to pen a large-scale mystery film for Disney.  The project was shrouded in secrecy, and we still know nothing about the plot other than the fact that it may or may not be in the sci-fi genre and it’s called 1952.  Now it appears that The Incredibles and The Iron Giant director Brad Bird, who made an extremely successful live-action debut with last year’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, is coming onboard to direct.  Hit the jump for more.