Kim Basinger Joins 'The Nice Guys', Margot Robbie Dances 'The Taliban Shuffle'

Shane Black's The Nice Guys already stars Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Keith David, Beau Knapp, and Matt Bomer, but now it's getting a female touch with the addition of Kim Basinger. It's an L.A. Confidential reunion for Basinger and Crowe, with her now playing a dubious chief justice in the 1970s-set film about a Los Angeles "private eye and a hired leg breaker who must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star." [THR]

It seems Margot Robbie is up for just about everything right now, and while we wait to see if she takes a role in DC's Suicide Squad, she's eying a comedic role opposite Tina Fey. The Wolf of Wall Street actress may join The Taliban Shuffle, a comedy adaptation of Kim Barker's memoir about her time as "as a fish-out-of-water in Kabul, filing stories about militants, being a woman in wartime Iraq and Pakistan, dealing with boredom interspersed with dashes of violence and the promiscuous war correspondent culture." Fey would play Barker, with Robbie as a gorgeous and competitive news anchor who befriends her. If Robbie signs on it would reteam her with Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, her directors on the heist film, Focus, which stars Will Smith. [THR]

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Regina Hall and Keegan-Michael Key go on 'Vacation'; Matt Bomer Joins 'The Nice Guys'

 Filming on the Vacation reboot/sequel has already begun but there's still room for two more cast members to join the road trip comedy. Regina Hall (Think Like a Man Too) and Keegan-Michael Key of Key & Peele have come aboard the film as family friends to the Griswolds. Ed Helms plays a grown-up Rusty Griswold whose family road trip turns out to be a disaster, just like the one his father took him on as a child. Christina Applegate, Chris Hemsworth, Charlie Day, Skyler Gisondo, Steele Stebbins, Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo star with John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein directing. [Variety]

Once Matt Bomer is done reuniting with Channing Tatum and the gang for Magic Mike XXL, he'll head over to film The Nice Guys for Iron Man 3 director, Shane Black. Bomer will be joining Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in the 1970s-set thriller about an ex-alcoholic bruiser and an alcoholic private detective who team up to investigate a girl's disappearance and the mysterious death of a porn star. Bomer can be seen now in the sci-fi comedy Space Station 76, and is due to return for the sixth and final season of his USA series, White Collar.

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Sean Maher Boards 'ISRA-88'; Ciaran Hinds will 'Bleed for This'; Margaret Qualley Joins 'The Nice Guys'

 Joss Whedon fave Sean Maher (Firefly, Much Ado About Nothing) will star in the indie sci-fi thriller ISRA-88, from director Thomas Zellen. He'll play Dr. Abe Anderson, a scientist part of the titular starship's two-man crew who begins to lose his mind during the years long mission to find the end of the universe. Sounds intriguing.

Ciaran Hinds (Game of Thrones, Munich) has joined the Vinny Pazienza biopic, Bleed for This, which stars Miles Teller as the famous boxing champion. Hinds will play Paz's father, Angelo, with Aaron Eckhart as the fighter's trainer, Kevin Rooney. Pazienza (now legally known as Vinny Paz) was middleweight champion until he suffered a terrible auto accident and was left with a broken neck. Doctors told him he'd never fight again but Paz fought his way back into the ring. Hinds can be seen in theaters now in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.

Margaret Qualley, who is great on HBO's The Leftovers (don't spoil the finale, I haven't watched it yet!!), has joined Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in The Nice Guys. Directed and co-written by Shane Black (Iron Man 3) with his writing partner Anthony Bagarozzi, the 1970s noir follows an ex-alcoholic and a current alcoholic private detective as they try to solve the suspicious death of a porn star.

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Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling Confirmed for Shane Black's 'The Nice Guys'

Although Shane Black recently agreed to direct a Predators sequel, one of his long-running projects has been gathering steam quickly. A few weeks ago Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe were targeted for his crime comedy, The Nice Guys, and now they've both been confirmed which was all Warner Bros. needed to hear to pick up the distribution rights.

Penned by Black and Anthony Bagarozzi, the 1970s-set noir takes place in Los Angeles and follows an ex-alcoholic brawler and a current alcoholic private eye as they investigate the suspicious death of a porn star. This is a project Black has been developing forever and now it's finally happening, which may be part of the reason why he dropped the Death Note remake he was working on.

As the writer of Lethal Weapon and director Kiss Kiss Bang Bang this is right in Black's sweet spot. [THR]

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Shane Black's 'The Nice Guys' May Star Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe

He may still largely be known as the guy behind the Lethal Weapon franchise, Shane Black has only directed two movies in his career. One was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the film many credit for reviving Robert Downey Jr.'s career; and the other was the $1B-grossing Iron Man 3. Not too shabby, and while Black has eyed an American remake of Death Note and a Doc Savage adaptation for some time, his next project will be another he's been developing.

It looks as if Black will direct The Nice Guys, which he co-wrote with Anthony Bagarozzi long enough ago that he staged a table read of it three years ago. According to The Wrap the film is back on thanks to producer Joel Silver, and right now it's the awesome duo of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling eyed as potential stars. And this sounds like something definitely in Black's wheelhouse, taking place in 1970s Los Angeles and following ex-alcoholic hired muscle Jackson Healey and current alcoholic private eye Holland March, who are united by a porn star's suicide. When the dead girl's aunt claims to have seen her alive afterwards, the two men take the case, mostly out of financial desperation, and discover a far-reaching murder conspiracy.

If this comes together it's going to be huge, but right now neither actor is attached and Crowe may have conflicts with his directorial debut, The Water Diviner.

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