George Clooney Briefly Hospitalized After Motor Scooter Accident in Sardinia

By Nick Vivarelli

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – George Clooney has been released from the hospital following a motor scooter accident Tuesday on the Italian island of Sardinia, where the actor-director is shooting Hulu’s “Catch-22” TV series.

A representative for Clooney said, “George was treated and released from an Olbia hospital.  He is recovering at home and will be fine.”

According to local press reports, the 57-year-old was hit by a car near Costa Corallina, in the Sardinian province of Olbia, as he was riding a scooter into a hotel driveway at about 8 a.m. on Tuesday. The motorist stopped and called an ambulance, which took Clooney to a hospital in Olbia, where doctors diagnosed a bruised knee and gave a prognosis for full recovery in 20 days, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper. Clooney was released from the hospital a few hours later.

It is unclear when Clooney will be able to go back to work on “Catch-22,” a six-part adaptation of Joseph Heller’s anti-war classic, which Clooney is directing, producing and starring in. The role will mark Clooney’s first regular television role since he broke out on the medical drama “E.R.” in the early 1990s. As previously announced, the cast of “Catch-22” includes Hugh Laurie, Kyle Chandler, and Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini.