George Clooney is back in the director's seat this year with a new film based on a group of soldiers tasked with defending priceless cultural artifacts during WWII.

The ensemble cast features such stars as Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, and Bob Balaban. The casting, along with Clooney running the project, makes it feel a little bit like "Inglorious Basterds" meets "Ocean's Eleven."

In addition to directing the project, Clooney also co-wrote the screenplay with Grant Heslov (The Ides of March, Good Night, And Good Luck), adapting it from a Robert M. Edsel book called "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History."  

The film will be released on December 18th. Here's the trailer: