Are you spending your days obsessing over a confounding mystery? Not sure who to turn to? Well, look no further, for Warner Bros. has opened the hotline for Shane Black’s detective agency, The Nice Guys.
Designed as a viral marketing tie-in to Black’s imminent crime noir, today’s all-new TV spot includes a nod to the 844-4-NICE-GUYS hotline which, should users pick up the phone, features a comical exchange between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, the two charismatic leads anchoring Warner’s caper.
Here’s an extract of what to expect, with the studio teasing that fan responses may be used in The Nice Guys‘ marketing campaign from this point forth:
GOSLING: Oh, it’s recording.
CROWE: Hello, you’ve reached the nice guys detective agency. The most reasonably-priced detective agency in the greater Los Angeles area. We cover adultery, missing persons, small crimes and occasionally murder.
GOSLING: Murder costs extra.
CROWE: We solve crimes, we don’t actually murder people.
GOSLING: No we don’t, it just costs extra.
CROWE: Leave us a message once our secretary Cheryl gives you some extra information that keeps us from getting sued.
Pitched as a spiritual successor to Shane Black’s excellent Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the director’s R-rated feature places Gosling and Crowe in the roles of struggling private eye Holland March and dim-witted muscle for hire, Jackson Healy, respectively. What has us particularly excited for The Nice Guys, outside of the stylish neon aesthetic, is the promising chemistry between its two lead stars. Let’s hope that carries on throughout next month’s feature.
Also starring Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley and Kim Basinger, Shane Black will introduce The Nice Guys to the moviegoing masses on May 20.
“The Nice Guys” takes place in 1970s Los Angeles, when down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Gosling) and hired enforcer Jackson Healy (Crowe) must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star. During their investigation, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power.