Sometimes wishes do come true!
A few weeks ago, a set of movie posters went viral on the internet featuring fictional films mocked up to look like real studio releases. The most popular of these was a biopic of Walt Disney starring Ryan Gosling. The movie also touted Ron Howard as director.
Well, it appears that the idea got more than a few wheels turning at the House of Mouse as the studio revealed it has finalized plans to produce the film and Ryan Gosling will be the lead! Variety reports the movie will begin shooting this fall with a release date in 2014.
The article features quotes from Ron Howard, who plans to begin working on the film soon after the completes RUSH, which is currently in production.
Howard says “the poster was brought to me by Brian [Grazer], who thought it was funny. But then it got us thinking about the whole mystery of Walt Disney and how most moviegoers don’t know the story of the man who invented Mickey Mouse and revolutionized American cinema.”
The normally stoic Ryan Gosling referenced the news himself on his Twitter feed earlier this morning by saying “going to put my Mouseketeer training to good use!”
Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will produce via Imagine along with Walt Disney Studios, who one would assume would allow full access to archives on Walt and the history of the company. No word yet on if any of the other fictional costars listed on the poster will make it to the real film. These actors include Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Pierfrancesco Favino, Marion Cotillard, and Matthew Fox.
From a fan standpoint, graphic artist Pascal Witaszek, who designed the original poster, must be extremely excited that such a passion project has turned into a real Hollywood success story. It just goes to show that sometimes, when you wish upon a star, you might just become one yourself.