Continuing to mix up his big studio fare with his smaller, more personal projects, Ryan Reynolds has just signed up to star in **Mississippi Grind. He'll be joining Ben Mendelsohn, in a film that is co-written and directed by Half Nelson's Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
The story takes place in America's deep south, and involves down-on-his-luck real estate agent, Gerry (Mendelsohn) teaming up for a road trip with hot-shot poker player, Curtis (Reynolds) in an attempt to break his losing streak.
Half Nelson evolved out of a short film, and Boden & Fleck's follow up It's Kind Of A Funny Story was an adaptation of Ned Vizzini's novel. Mississippi Grind, however, seems to be an entirely original screenplay. Jamie Patricof and Lynette Howell (Half Nelson, The Place Beyond The Pines) are producing, along with John Lesher (End Of Watch).
We'll next see Reynolds in R.I.P.D. on September 20, and he's also recently finished working with Atom Egoyan on the thriller Queen Of The Night (no release date yet), and with Tarsem Singh on the high-concept body-swap drama Selfless (due at the end of next year). Mississippi Grind is scheduled to start shooting in January.