Ryan Gosling is set to star in and produce an upcoming thriller called “The Actor” from director Duke Johnson.
The film is based on a novel called “Memory” by Donald E. Westlake, and the film is being presented to buyers at the European Film Market.
Johnson also wrote the screenplay with Stephen Cooney. Here’s the logline:
New York actor Paul Cole (Gosling) is beaten and left for dead in 1950s Ohio. Stripped of his memory and stranded in a mysterious small town, Paul struggles to get back home and reclaim what he’s lost. The Actor follows a thrilling journey we all must take: to find home, to find love, and ultimately to find ourselves.
Johnson will also produce with Abigail Spencer under their Innerlight Films production banner, as will Ryan Gosling with Ken Kao. Paul Young is also producing through his company Make Good.
CAA Media Finance and Endeavor Content co-represent U.S. rights; Endeavor Content is handling international sales.
Gosling has a couple of projects brewing, including the Netflix thriller “The Gray Man” alongside Chris Evans and Ana de Armas from the Russo Brothers, and Leigh Whannell’s “Wolfman” at Universal. He also teamed with Kao to produce “Project Hail Mary” from Phil Lord and Chris Miller and based on a novel by “The Martian” author Andy Weir.
Johnson is a co-director on Charlie Kaufman’s stop motion animated “Anomalisa” from 2015, for which he was nominated for an Oscar.
Gosling is represented by CAA and attorney Robert Offer. Johnson is represented by ICM Partners and Paul Young. Spencer is represented by UTA, Untitled, and attorneys Gretchen Rush and Huy Nguyen. Cooney is represented by Bruns Brennan & Berry.
Deadline first reported the news of the project.
Leave a Reply