‘I Was Very Proud of Those Guys’

George Clooney can’t help but think of his “Ocean’s” franchise while watching news reports about the Louvre jewel heist.

“If you’re a professional thief like I am, I was very proud of those guys,” he joked with me Thursday night at the AFI Fest premiere of his latest film, Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly.”

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Will the now infamous jewel robbery make its way into “Ocean’s 14”? “I think we should rob the Louvre,” Clooney said.

Four suspects broke into the Louvre in Paris on Sunday morning and stole eight pieces reported to be worth more than $100 million. Clooney is amazed how the culprits pulled off their caper “in the middle of broad daylight.”

Describing the heist as “terrible,” Clooney said, “I wonder if they’re going to catch these guys. They seem to have done a pretty good job at getting away with it.”

Clooney told E! News in early October that “Ocean’s 14” is likely going to film next year, with original franchise stars Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle expected to return. Variety reported at the start of this year that “The Fall Guy” and “Bullet Train” filmmaker David Leitch would direct the crime caper sequel.

“The script is done and we’re in great shape,” Clooney told me at AFI Fest. “It’s just scheduling now.”

Clooney stars in the Baumbach film as Jay Kelly, an aging movie star contemplating his life choices and his ambition to be famous as he makes his way to Europe to receive a lifetime achievement tribute at a film festival. The cast also includes Adam Sandler as Jay’s manager and Laura Dern as his publicist.

Clooney recalled his early days in Hollywood before he gained worldwide fame for his work on “ER.” “I kept banging around — I did 13 television pilots and some of them were successes like ‘Roseanne’ and others, but I wasn’t a success on them. And then ‘ER’ hit and everything changed. That had very little to do with me, but I got to be the beneficiary of some very good writing and a good time slot.”

In the decades that have followed, Clooney has never been one to take much time off. “Slowing down,” he said, “you die.”

“Jay Kelly” is in select theaters on Nov. 14 and on Netflix on Dec. 5.