Ryan Gosling to star and produce The Actor… based on the posthumous novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake
Ryan Gosling has been confirmed to star in an upcoming film adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s novel Memory, which will be re-titled The Actor for the big screen.
The 40-year-old actor has also been announced as one of the film’s producers, according to Deadline.
Anomalisa co-director Duke Johnson will helm the upcoming feature, and Stephen Cooney will write its script.
Staying busy: On Wednesday, Deadline reported that Ryan Gosling has been confirmed to produce and star in The Actor, which is based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel Memory; the actor is seen at the 2018 premiere of First Man
Memory was originally written during the 1960s but was published in 2010, two years after Westlake passed away.
The plot takes place in 1950’s Ohio and follows actor Paul Cole, who is nearly beaten to the point of death.
After a period of hospitalization, Cole must piece his memory back together again as he tries to resume his life and career in New York City.
A release date for the upcoming feature has not been announced as of yet.
Source material: Westlake originally wrote Memory in the 1960s, but the book remained unpublished until two years after his death
In addition to The Actor, Gosling currently has several film projects in the pipeline.
Last May, the Drive star was announced as the lead in the upcoming remake of the 1941 horror film The Wolf Man.
That picture is set to be helmed by The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell; it is not known if the film will feature a modernized take on the story or if it will stay faithful to the period of the original movie.
The actor is also set to appear in the upcoming adaptation of Mark Greaney’s thriller novel The Grey Man.
Future project: Gosling is also set to star in the upcoming remake of the 1941 horror film The Wolf Man; he is seen performing in the 2011 feature Drive
The feature’s story is set in Europe, where a CIA operative-turned-assassin, played by Gosling, is tasked with protecting the lives of his daughters.
Also attached to the Russo Brothers-directed project are Ana de Armas, Chris Evans and Wagner Moura, among various others.
The novel was considered for adaptation on multiple occasions in the past, although actual development on the project was not confirmed until July of last year.
The Grey Man is currently set to premiere on the Netflix streaming service at an unspecified date in the future.
Packed schedule: The actor will also star in the forthcoming thriller film The Grey Man, where he will perform alongside Chris Evans and Ana de Armas; he is seen with Russell Crowe in 2016’s The Nice Guys
Gosling has also been confirmed to star in a film version of Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary, which will be published later this year.
The actor will portray a lone astronaut who is tasked with saving the world while alone in space.
Project Hail Mary currently does not have a set release date.
Keeping it going: Gosling will also serve as the lead in Project Hail Mary, which will serve as an adaptation of an unpublished novel by Andy Weir; the actor is pictured in 2018