Produce, and possibly star in or direct…
Ryan Gosling and his ‘Drive’ collaborator Marc Platt are set to produce a biopic of noted 1930s director and choreographer Busby Berkeley, with Gosling eyeing the project as a potential starring and directing vehicle.
After serving in the army during World War I, Berkeley moved to Hollywood to work as a dance director, creating complex dance routines for Hollywood musicals like Eddie Cantor’s 1930 musical comedy ‘Whoopee!,’ 1933’s ‘42 Street,’ ‘Gold Diggers of 1933,’ and ‘Footlight Parade.’ Stepping behind the camera, he directed a number of films, including 1933’s ‘She Had to Say Yes,’ ‘Dames,’ and then ‘Gold Diggers of 1935.’ Berkeley became famous for his dazzling kaleidoscopic dance numbers featuring multitudes of performers, earning three Oscar nominations for best dance direction, a category that no longer exists. Moving from studio to studio, he continued to work throughout the ’40s and early ’50s, passing away in 1976 at the age of 80 from natural causes.
The screenplay will be based on the Jeffrey Spivak penned biography ‘Buzz: the Life and Art of Busby Berkeley.’ Gosling and Platt are out to scribes to tackle the screenplay, with Chantal Nong overseeing development on behalf of Warner Bros.
Gosling’s directorial debut, ‘How to Catch a Monster’ starring Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, and Matt Smith, hits ours screens later this year.