the industry

George Clooney Picks Ryan Gosling For North

All Points North: Ryan Gosling is in negotiations to star in George Clooney’s Farragut North in a role that Leonardo DiCaprio once circled. Gosling will be playing a young communications director working for an on-the-rise presidential candidate; however, he “falls prey” to backstabbing and foul play embraced by the candidate’s more experienced rivals. Chris Pine was also in the mix for the role, but Gosling appears to have edged him out. [Deadline]

Bernie Gains Duo: Matthew McConaughey and Rip Torn are joining Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine in Bernie, a dark comedy from Richard Linklater. The film, set in Carthage, Texas, follows a “Renaissance man/community leader/mortician” (Black) who “strikes up an unlikely friendship” with a “wealthy but very particular widow” (MacLaine). When he kills her (!), he tries to fool everyone into thinking she is alive. McConaughey will play the town’s D.A., who is “suspicious” about the widow’s death. Torn will play Black’s defense lawyer. Interesting definition of “strike up a friendship” in this town! [HR]

Openers: After Bono suffered a back injury, forcing U2 to postpone their North American stadium tour, the shows are back on for next year. The band has now announced the group of openers who will split the shows: Interpol, Florence and the Machine, Lenny Kravitz, The Fray, and Snow Patrol. [Pitchfork]

Fangtastic: The remainder of the Denali clan of vampires in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn has now been cast. MyAnna Buring (The Descent) and Casey LaBow will play two members of a trio of Russian vampire sisters (along with previously announced Maggie Grace). The two Spanish heads of the coven will be played by Christian Camargo, best known for his role as the Ice Truck Killer on Dexter, and Mia Maestro. [HR]

Hitched: Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment is teaming up with Pete Chiarelli, who wrote The Proposal, on a series adaptation of Smith’s 2005 Hitch. Chiarelli will write the project, which is billed as an “action-packed” one-hour show. A Hitch adaptation was attempted three seasons ago in the form of a 30-minute single-camera comedy, but it never made it to the pilot stage. [Deadline]

Ghost Story
: Ciaran Hinds is in negotiations to play the villain in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Nicolas Cage will reprise his role as the “demonic biker anti-hero” in the sequel to the 2007 film. His character is recruited by a sect to combat the devil (Hinds), who wants to take over his mortal son’s body on the boy’s birthday. Violante Placido (The American) is also joining the cast, as the boy’s mother. [Heat Vision/HR]

George Clooney Picks Ryan Gosling For North