Warner Bros. hopes that a period detective film starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling will thrill summer audiences looking for alternatives to superhero flicks. The studio will release “The Nice Guys,” directed by Shane Black, on June 17, 2016.
The film is set to begin production this fall. The narrative takes place in 1970’s Los Angeles, when a private eye (Gosling) and a hired leg-breaker (Crowe) must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star. During their investigation, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power.
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The film is produced by Joel Silver through his company, Silver Pictures. This will be Black’s first directing project since scoring major box office points last summer with “Iron Man 3,” which grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide. He worked with Silver on the “Lethal Weapon” series and “Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang.”
“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. It’s a terrific script written in Shane’s great cinematic voice,” said Silver. “With Russell and Ryan on board, I know we’re in for another wild ride.”
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The film is based on an original screenplay by Anthony Bagarozzi. Ken Kao of Waypoint Entertainment is co-financing and will executive produce alongside Hal Sadoff and Michael Malone. Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s BLOOM will handle international sales, while Warner Bros. Pictures will handle distribution in North America.
Crowe is represented by WME and Slate PR. Gosling is repped by Anonymous Content and Slate PR. Black is repped by WME and David Greenblatt.