Collider hasRyan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love - Warner Bros. learned (via a press release) that Ryan Gosling (“Gangster Squad”) is set to make his directorial debut on a modern day fairy tale “How to Catch a Monster.” Gosling wrote the script that weaves elements of fantasy and noir/suspense (think “Supernatural” meets “Drive”), and centers on a single mother of two and her teenage son who stumble upon a road that leads to an underwater town (“Bioshock” anyone?). Christina Hendricks (AMC’s “Mad Men”) has been cast as the lead, and it is not known if Gosling intends to take on a role himself, but he will also produce the film alongside Marc Platt (“Drive”) and Adam Siegel (“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”). I always like seeing actors get behind the camera, even though I will always prefer classic directors (like Scorsese or Spielberg), but it is refreshing to see a new point of view on filmmaking. Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” and Ben Affleck’s “Gone Baby Gone” are fantastic films, and they are unique because the actor has a different perspective on filmmaking. “How to Catch a Monster” begins production spring of 2013.

Good news for video game lovers today. Latino Review has learned that producer Avi Arad (“Iron Man”) has struck a deal with game director Hideo Kojima (the “Metal Gear” series) to adapt the famed “Metal Gear” series to film. Avi said, “For many years I fought to bring comics to theaters—and video games are the comics of today. We will take our time and tell the story with all the nuances, ideology, and cautionary tales needed.” During the conference Kojima listed a few of his favorite Hollywood actors (people he would like to play the main character Snake), and came up with: Matt Damon (the “Bourne” series), Hugh Jackman (the “X-Men” films), and Ben Affleck (“The Town”), and he stated his favorite director would be Christopher Nolan (the “Batman” franchise). If he could somehow get his wish list fulfilled, in the form of Jackman and Nolan (since they have worked together already on “The Prestige”), I think this would be a very impressive video game-to-film adaptation. Most recent adaptations, like “Resident Evil,” have remained unfaithful to the source material, and the movies have been far from good. This is an impressive franchise that began in 1987, rich with plot, characters, and action and it is perfect for a film adaptation.

A replacement for Hugh Laurie (“Street Kings”) in the new “Robocop” film has been found. Deadline is reporting that the role will be taken over by none other than Michael Keaton (“Batman”). Keaton has had some pretty good experience playing bad guys in the past (“Desperate Measures”), and he plays crazy pretty well (“Beetlejuice”), so he seems like a pretty solid choice to play the film’s villain. The last big film he was in was “The Other Guys,” where he delivered quite the comedic performance, and proved that he was ready and deserving of a second chance at the big screen. I am glad that moment has finally come, and I can’t wait to see him in the antagonist role of Raymond Sellars, the CEO of Omnicorp (the corporation that builds Robocop). The movie currently stars Joel Kinnaman (“Darkest Hour”) as the titular character with Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, and Abbie Cornish filling out the supporting cast. Production starts next month for an August 9th, 2013 release date.

Director Chan-wook Park became a popular name in the cult circuit thanks to his film “Oldboy” (currently being remade by Spike Lee). He has used this notoriety to make the transition to American films, and recently helmed the Nicole Kidman (“The Interpreter”) starrer “Stoker” due out next March. Variety is reporting that he has now set his sights on “The Brigands of Rattleborge,” a Western that was on the top of the 2006 Black List (the best unproduced scripts of the year). The picture centers on a sheriff and a doctor who are out for revenge against a group of bandits who, under the cover of a torrential thunderstorm, robbed and terrorized the occupants of a small town. The script has had trouble getting produced since it is so violent (definitely a hard R-rating), but this means Park is the perfect director to stylize this action into a smooth flowing movie. It is assumed that thanks to Park’s clout he will be able to get a couple big names involved, which will also help keep the film’s R-rating (big names tend to bring big money).

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