Ryan Gosling will star in and direct the MGM remake of the 80’s film Idolmaker. Gosling has already accrued plenty of critical acclaim for his performances in a myriad of indies, most recently for his emotionally uninhibited performance in Derek Cianfrance‘s Blue Valentine. According to a Deadline report, Idolmaker will be his directorial debut, as well another step toward commercializing his career as he takes on bigger budget and studio projects.
The original Idolmaker, also an MGM pic, was a guido-centric biopic of Bob Marcucci. In case you haven’t heard of Marcucci, he was the producer/promoter behind the discovery of Frankie Avalon and Fabian. Marcucci actually acted as a technical advisor on the original film, which was the directorial debut for Taylor Hackford (Dolores Claiborne).
Gosling has been an indie darling for some time, but recently his name has been attached to some big studio projects (looks like he‘s hitched his wagon to Warner Bros. in a big way). He’s co-starring with Steve Carell in Warner Bros.’ upcoming Crazy, Stupid, Love, which will be released July 29. He’s also involved in two other Waner Bros. big pic projects with crime drama Gangster Squad, co-starring Josh Brolin and Sean Penn, and the sci-fi remake Logan’s Run.
Though the original Idolmaker was apparently nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy in its time, it certainly isn‘t a recognizable name today. Though it seems like it was a successful launching point for newbie director Hackford, who went on to helm some notable films like An Officer and a Gentleman and Everybody’s All-American.
I don’t doubt Gosling’s acting ability. He’s taken on varied roles that prove the range of his talent, and this newest project shows us he’s got creative ambitions for both sides of the camera. I’ll be interested in seeing if he continues to grow as an artist, or sells out to Hollywood.
