We can't say we were aware of the fact before, but it turns out that Bret Easton Ellis is quite the movie fan. His Twitter followers have, of late, been treated to streams of updates on the author's opinions of all the latest releases, with a little Oscar prognostication thrown in for good measure. We can't say we agree with all his opinions entirely, but it's certainly been entertaining, and we hope it continues.
But Ellis' Twitter feed provided something more of a surprise overnight, with the writer revealing that one of the hottest stars of the moment is in talks to star in a script that he's written. Ellis has, for a few years now, been working on "The Golden Suicides" which tells the story of artists Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan, who killed themselves in 2007, allegedly after harassment from Scientologists. Gus Van Sant consulted on the project initially, but with no intention of directing; instead, it was revealed that "Irreversible" and "Enter The Void" helmer Gaspar Noé was circling the project, which at one time had Angelina Jolie and James Franco looking at the lead roles.
And it looks like Noé's officially on board, as Ellis has related on Twitter that the director's met with Ryan Gosling about the project. The writer, who was at the Chateau Marmont, tweeted "Ryan came to meet Gaspar Noe who is directing The Golden Suicides," and later added "Ryan Gosling looked impeccable eating an apple." As we're sure he would. Furthermore, a few days earlier, he also tweeted, of the actor's Oscar chances, "Ryan Gosling is going to have to wait this year out and then win the Oscar for playing Jeremy Blake in "The Golden Suicides," which suggests that this wasn't just a casual chat between Gosling and Noé, but that the actor's seriously considering the film, if not locked in already.
It seems like a perfect fit for Gosling's sensibilities, in a role he'd likely knock out of the park, and teaming up with Noé seems to fit with the director's propensity for working with acclaimed auteurs, although this is obviously in early stages. As ever, though, it'll be a question of scheduling; Gosling's got Nicolas Winding Refn's "Only God Forgives" and Terrence Malick's "Lawless" to shoot in 2012, and he's being courted for virtually every other project.
It's possible that Noé could have a back up, though, with Ellis also indiscreetly revealing that "Joaquin [Phoenix] was hanging with Gaspar when we arrived." It sounds like that was more of a social chat than anything else, but Phoenix would also be a good fit for Blake, although he's equally busy these days, with new films by James Gray and Spike Jonze lensing in 2012. We're sure some kind of official announcement on the casting will follow soon enough, but it's certainly made us take notice of the project.