Last night Deadline reported that actor Giovanni Ribisi will be joining Rueben Fleischer’s upcoming film Gangster Squad. Ribisi will play Conway Keeler, a cop who is an expert with electronics and wires. He’ll act alongside an all star cast that includes Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie and Michael Pena.
While not a household name, Giovanni Ribisi is a solid B-list actor who has given great performances in films like Middle Men, Boiler Room and even Avatar. He’ll make a great addition to what is shaping up to be a fantastic film.
Rueben Fleischer is quickly becoming one of the hottest directors in Hollywood with films like Zombieland and the upcoming 30 Minutes Or Less under his belt. Gangster Squad is a big project for the relatively new filmmaker but with the superb cast supporting him, I think he’ll be able to pull off a potential Oscar worthy film.
Sean Penn is known for being very selective when choosing scripts. Admittedly, he has made some duds, but for the most part, he usually picks winners. That fact alone gives me confidence in this project.
His co-stars, Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin, are also names that instantly have me attracted to the film. Gosling is quickly turning into one of the finest actors around and Brolin has a steady track record with brilliant performances in Milk (which also starred Sean Penn) and No Country For Old Men.
All things considered, Gangster Squad should be able to acquire an impressive amount of nominations come Awards season, wouldn’t you say?