That moved along quickly. Back in June, we reported that** Iron Man 3**director Shane Black was considering noir thriller **The Nice Guys as one of several projects he’s juggling in development. Then, the casting was merely a wish list, but he’s clearly locked in his chosen actors, with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe officially on board and Warner Bros. setting a June 17, 2016 release date for the movie.
The Nice Guys, which Black co-wrote with Anthony Bagarozzi, is set in the 1970s and will feature Gosling as wayward, troubled private eye Holland March, who crosses paths with hired muscle Jackson Healy (Crowe). These unlikely allies must prowl the mean streets of Los Angeles to solve the case of a missing girl, which soon develops links to the death of a porn star. As they unravel the cases, they discover a massive conspiracy with tentacles in the highest levels of power.
“Ever since we did Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, I’ve been eager to work with Shane again, and with this film we made it happen,” producer Joel Silver says in a statement picked up by Variety. “It’s a terrific script written in Shane’s great cinematic voice. With Russell and Ryan on board, I know we’re in for another wild ride.”
Shooting should kick off next year ready for that mid-2016 release. Black is also working on a new Predator sequel, his long-gestating version of the Doc Savage adventures and a take on the Remo Williams adventure novel The Destroyer.