Iron Man 3 put Shane Black back on the Hollywood radar but he’s never been far from his Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang cops and robbers roots. Now comes news that after the success of Iron Man 3 he’s resurrecting an old project he wrote a few years ago with Anthony Bagarozzi, The Nice Guys. The story is set in 1970s Los Angeles and follows private investigator Holland March and tough guy Jackson Healey as they look into the suicide of a porn star. Their case gets more tricky though when the girl’s aunt tells them she saw her alive since her death and before long the case is leading them into the world of the American car industry.
Black is hoping to cast Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in the two key roles, presumably with Crowe as the tough guy and Gosling as the PI, but no formal offers have been made yet. Both actors have form in the nourish detective stakes, Crowe with LA Confidential and Gosling with Gangster Squad. The film languished in development for some time but now Lethal Weapon producer Joel Silver is helping Black bring The New Guys to life. With any luck we can expect Black’s typical sharp dialogue, a bit of buddy shenanigans between Gosling and Crowe and a noirish plot to keep us guessing. Source – The Wrap