Ryan Gosling’s first attempt as a director, in 2014’s “Lost River,” didn’t necessarily go as planned. While the film did get a big premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, critics (including our own) weren’t high on Gosling’s directorial debut. But as the saying goes, “if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.” And for Gosling, it appears that fresh off a couple show-stopping acting performances, the Academy Award nominee is going to give that directing thing another shot.
In a new interview in the latest issue of French magazine Cinema Teaser, cinematographer Benoît Debie dropped the new nugget of info about his future collaboration with Gosling. Debie, who is probably best known for his work on “Irréversible,” “Enter the Void,” and “Spring Breakers,” but also worked with Gosling on the aforementioned “Lost River,” doesn’t give any plot details for the next Gosling outing. However, we do know that it probably won’t be for Netflix.
“I have a new project with Ryan Gosling. Its financing isn’t complete and Ryan told me that Netflix offered to produce it, on the condition that he would shoot it digital. And necessarily not releasing it in theaters or barely. I told him I found it was a pity and he agreed,” said Debie.
There are a few things to unpack there. First, while Netflix seems to be the go-to studio for some of the biggest names in directing, such as the Coen Brothers, Alfonso Cuaron, and Paul Greengrass, Gosling is sticking to his artistic ambitions and will, at the moment, forgo any money from the streaming service. Of course, as we’ve detailed before, Netflix is opening up its rules on theatrical releases, so perhaps they can still strike a deal with Gosling.
Debie also put to rest the rumor that he will be stepping behind the camera for the upcoming “Bad Boys 3,” aka “Bad Boys for Life.” “I saw that [the rumor] was all over the internet but nobody —whether it’s the production or the directors—has contacted me,” denied the cinematographer.