George Clooney (AP file photo)

George Clooney has taken time off from mourning his deceased pig Max to snag the film rights to John Grisham's new book.

According to Variety, Clooney and his Smoke House partner Grant Heslov are acquiring "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town" with Warner Independent Pictures.

With Clooney's directing and acting slate already bursting at the seams, "The Innocent Man" is currently only being envisioned as a producing vehicle for the recently re-honored Sexiest Man Alive.

Published in October, "The Innocent Man" is a nonfiction account of how Ron Williamson, an Oklahoma man, was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death row.

Clooney's upcoming schedule is pretty packed, including several projects with Warner Bros. and Warner Independent. He's first expected to direct, produce and co-star in the period football film "Leatherheads" for Universal. "Leatherheads" is set for a spring 2007 start, followed immediately by "Burn After Reading," a reunion with the Coen Brothers. The Oscar winner's 2008 will then include a starring role in the James Ellroy adaptation "White Jazz," leading into directing duties on the heist flick "Belmont Boys."

As always, George Clooney's plans are subject to change.

The actor's 300-pound pot-bellied pig Max, his companion of 18 years, died on Friday (Dec. 1).