Exclusive: The Nice Guys 2 Finally In Development, Ryan Gosling Attached To Return
The Nice Guys 2 is finally in the works with Shane Black and Ryan Gosling on board so far.
The Nice Guys 2 is currently in development with original director/co-writer Shane Black and Ryan Gosling set to return. According to our trusted and proven sources, the former Marvel director and the future Barbie star are making a sequel to their well-regarded 2016 neo-noir movie, which will doubtlessly make fans of fast-paced dialogue and buddy-comedy action very happy. This does raise the question of whether The Nice Guys 2 will also feature original star Russell Crowe alongside Ryan Gosling, which would be kind of necessary for the title to make sense.
The first Nice Guys movie starred Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as Los Angeles lowlifes in 1977 who stumble onto a conspiracy involving an adult film actress, an anti-pollution protest group, and Robert Downey Jr. (playing a character, that is). By the end of the film, the former adversaries have set up shop as a private detective agency, which certainly seemed at the time to be presaging a possible series of films. However, it has taken seven years for The Nice Guys 2 to even secure Ryan Gosling, which raises some behind-the-scenes questions.
Obviously, in order for the detective agency to be called The Nice Guys (and for The Nice Guys 2 to really work), you need Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe back along with Shane Black. However, both Gosling and Crowe appear to be extremely busy recently, with both actors having multiple projects in various stages of development. IMDb currently lists Crowe as having nine upcoming acting roles to Gosling’s mere five, but clearly, both men like to work.
Most immediately, Ryan Gosling will be starring as Ken (or at least one version of the iconic doll) in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, along with Margot Robbie and Will Ferrell. He will also be starring in a feature film revival of the 1980s action series The Fall Guy, to be directed by Bullet Train’s David Leitch and co-starring Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Hannah Waddinham. In addition to several other projects, Gosling has also been circling a new remake of the Universal monster Wolfman series for years.
For his part, Russell Crow will soon be starring in the Catholic horror film The Pope’s Exorcist, a biopic film about the painter Mark Rothko, and a number of fairly generic-sounding action films. Notably, he will not be starring in Gladiator 2, the long-gestating sequel to his Academy Award-winning Ridley Scott film; while multiple potential follow-ups to the movie involved Crowe as a ghost, an immortal, or a time traveler, it sounds like he is sitting this one out.
However, it is certain that The Nice Guys 2 will have both Shane Black and Ryan Gosling back in the fold for another grimy, humor-infused crime adventure. It will be interesting to see if the story is updated to 1980s Los Angeles (or further forward in time) or takes place outside of Black’s beloved City of Angels.
