Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling eying ‘Big Short,’ report says

How’s this for a sterling cast? Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling are looking to team up in “The Big Short,” an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ nonfiction bestseller about the financial crisis of the 2000s, according to a Variety report.

Gosling’s manager, Ilene Feldman, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that her client is in talks. Representatives for Pitt and Bale and studio Paramount Pictures did not provide comment.

Pitt has previously been associated with the project as a producer, via his Plan B shingle. Pitt also produced and starred in “Moneyball,” based on a previous book by Lewis.

“The Big Short” will be written and directed by Adam McKay (“Anchorman,” “Step Brothers”) in a rare step away from his comedy wheelhouse, though the filmmaker is often outspoken on political issues via social media.

Published in 2010, “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine” follows a few savvy investors who saw the subprime mortgage crisis coming and placed bets on the coming collapse.

Should the casting news pan out, “The Big Short” would boast three of Hollywood’s most popular leading men. But if Pitt is the biggest name of the three, he’s also the least surprising -- the actor often takes on topical material, unlike Bale or Gosling.

The latter two, in fact, have made more enigmatic moves in general.

Bale most recently appeared in “Exodus: Gods and Kings” and has a pair of Terrence Malick movies in the can, but he dropped out of Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs biopic.

Gosling, meanwhile, hasn’t been seen on screen since 2013, when he appeared in a pair of much maligned films, “Gangster Squad” and “Only God Forgives.” In the meantime, he’s completed his directorial debut, “Lost River,” which baffled audiences at Cannes and will arrive via VOD and a limited theatrical run later this year. His upcoming films as an actor include the Shane Black neo-noir “The Nice Guys” and one of the aforementioned Malick movies with Bale.

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