He’s dallied with Daleks, curtailed the Cybermen’s plans and wrangled the Weeping Angels, so it somehow makes sense that Matt Smith – currently better known as The Doctor – would be recruited for Ryan Gosling’s first stab at directing, How To Catch A Monster.
Gosling has been working up to calling the shots for a while now, and has written a blend of fantasy, noir and suspense that will unspool a tale of a mother (Christina Hendricks) on a mission.
Against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city, it finds Billy (Hendricks), a single mother of two who usually works in a fetish club, swept into a dark fantasy underworld. While that’s happening, her teenaged son finds a secret road leading into an underwater town. Mother and son must figure out various mysteries if they want to keep their family alive.
Smith, who will make his US film debut with the movie, is on to play the male lead, though what that entails is still a mystery. He’s joining a cast that also includes Ben Mendelsohn and Eva Mendes.
What this really means is we have the image of Gosling watching several episodes of Doctor Who to decide whether he should cast Smith, and that, we have to admit, makes us grin like fools. Let's all start a rumour that he's a huge fan and wants to guest star! In any case, the **Monster **cameras should be cranking this spring.