That Ryan Gosling has had ambitions to direct is hardly a surprise. He once kicked the tires on a remake of the 1980 Taylor Hackford film “The Idolmaker," and at TIFF last year he plainly stated his intentions. “I wanted to work with George Clooney [on 'Ides Of March'] because he’s an actor turned director and I wanted to see that in action, and I’m learning a lot from Nicolas [Winding Refn] and Derek [Cianfrance] …I’m just basically trying to treat it as a film school for myself right now before I start making my own films — not to undervalue the movies themselves, I want to see those movies so I’m making them — but I’m also trying to get as much out of them as I can before I kind of transition out of this and into that,” he explained. And it looks like he's ready to add writer/director to his resume.
Gosling has written "How to Catch a Monster," which he will also direct, with his "Drive" co-star Christina Hendricks attached to the flick. And it definitely sounds ambitious for his first outing — here's the official synopsis: Set against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city, Billy, a single mother of two, is swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town. Both Billy and Bones must dive deep into the mystery, if their family is to survive.
The film is described as a "fantasy noir," "fairytale" and "modern suspense" picture, which sounds intriguing. The project is slated to shoot next spring, and at TIFF it will be up for grabs, so buyers get out your checkbooks. What can we say? You already know we're Gosling fans, and a step into directing is another interesting note in what is developing to be a fascinating career. So we'll be eager to see how this develops. Maybe a Dead Man's Bones soundtrack too? Seems fitting. [STYD]
