In 2007, FilmDrunk favorite and butterfly kisser Ryan Gosling dropped out of the leading role in The Lovely Bones due to what he claimed to be a glaring difference in his own age and the age of his character, Jack Salmon. Both Gosling and director Peter Jackson claimed they tried to make things work, but Baby Goose eventually walked and Mark Wahlberg took the role instead. And ever since the film’s release earlier this year, Vince hasn’t shut up about how much he loved it. Just kidding.

Now, though, Gosling has changed his story, perhaps because of his lifelong philosophy – “Lies turn into cries.” Original reports stated that Gosling showed up to the set in 2007 20 pounds heavier than when Jackson had given him the role. Gosling recently told The Hollywood Reporter during an Oscars roundtable interview that he was, in fact, 60 pounds overweight and that he and Jackson had completely different ideas about the character, which led to the split.

“I really believed [the character] should be 210 pounds. I was melting Haagen Dazs and drinking it when I was thirsty,” he admitted. “I really believed in it. I was excited about it.”

Ryan said when he got on set, he was asked to hit the treadmill. “I just showed up on set and I’d gotten it wrong. … It didn’t ever become about the weight because the weight was just indicative of a deeper misunderstanding about the character.” (Via Entertainment Tonight)

I hate to call Gosling out when he seems like such a wonderful guy (with the exception of his joy for shutting down Twitter accounts) but I see right through his little charade. He didn’t gain 60 pounds so that he better fit his own vision of the Jack Salmon character. He did it so more people could hug him at one time. Sorry, but girls only. “Hey girl, the only reacharound I know about is the Heimlich maneuver.”

After the jump, watch the trailer for Peter Jackson’s new film The Lovely Bones, starring Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz, and Saoirse Ronan.  If the movie is any good I’ll be highly impressed because the Alice Sebold book it’s based on is a cheesy, melodramatic mess.  Susie Salmon is 14 and in love, you see, and after she gets raped and murdered, she’s up in heaven trying to help her family catch her killer and OH MY GOD I CAN’T STOP WANKING DISMISSIVELY, IT BURNS!  IT BURNS!  I’d recommend reading Lucky, Sebold’s earlier book instead, a non-fiction account of her own rape when she was 18.  It’s kind of like The Lovely Bones, only without the Hollywooden plot and scene stolen from Ghost, and you can read it without fear of spontaneously growing a vagina.

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According to Flicks.co.NZ, The Lovely Bones has halted filming due to an argument between Peter Jackson and his art director over the best way to depict heaven.  Which is important, because Susie Salmon narrates the entire book from there.  And it’s not the first fight Jackson’s had.

Meanwhile, at the Speed Racer premiere in London, Empire reports that Bones cast member Susan Sarandon has expressed dissatisfaction with her character. “I play the comic relief, an alcoholic grandmother – my first grandma – but she doesn’t really seem like a real grandmother because she has a lot of hair and jewellery and nails and liquor. I don’t think I ever talk without a cigarette and a drink in my hand.”

“Peter Jackson is really a nice guy and very interesting. It was really a very different way of working. We had a good time, I’m really curious to see what it’s like because he kept pushing me to be more and more extreme and sometimes that’s when you make your big mistakes so I’m not sure how it will come off – it will be interesting to see it from the point of view of the audience.

Ryan Gosling was replaced with Mark Wahlberg just days before filming, also over creative differences.  But I think if the movie fails it will be because the book it’s based on is really maudlin and cheesy (I was impressed that the author* had the balls to lift an entire scene from Ghost – you know where Patrick Swayze’s ghost takes over Whoopi Goldberg’s body and bones Demi Moore?  Yeah, that totally happens in The Lovely Bones, albeit with different characters) not because the grandma is too alcoholic.  Besides, isn’t that what grandma’s are like?  I mean, my grandma was always smoking cigars and drinking whiskey.  Then one time my P.E. teacher told me that if she had balls she’d be my grandpa.  In conclusion, Peter Jackson is really fat.

*Lucky was good though. 

[via /Film] 

Now Page Six is weighing in on the Jackslingberg controversy (Yeah, I typed that with a straight face, what of it?)

"Peter couldn’t stand Ryan," said one source. Though Variety reported that Gosling had "stepped down" and was replaced by Mark Wahlberg, our source said, "Ryan cut his own hair, and was fighting with wardrobe. He was so demanding . . . Peter booted him two days before filming started." 

Yeah, whatever, I’m still on baby goose’s side.  Because even speaking as a heterosexual man, he’s much better looking. And everyone knows good people are attractive and bad people are ugly.  Remember Wizard of Oz?  The good witch was all blond and feminine like Ryan Gosling, and the wicked witch was all dark and hairy like Peter Jackson.  And then the lion roared three times and everyone dropped acid and listened to Pink Floyd.  Anyway, the moral of the story is, drugs are awesome.  

Yesterday I reported that Ryan Gosling and The Lovely Bones had parted ways just a day before shooting was to begin over "creative differences".  Today they LA Times has an article that tries to shed some light on what those differences were.

Peter Jackson was shocked when he saw Gosling turn up looking like he was wearing a fat suit. Apparently when Jackson was told by the young star that he was going to put on some weight to age himself up, Jackson was still expecting him to have the movie star allure. He didn’t expect that he was going to turn up [with a] ‘paunch and a beard’. [via JoBlo]

So wait, Peter Jackson is complaining about someone being fat and hairy?  That’s like Jerry Bruckheimer lecturing someone about raping infants. 

Jackson reportedly cornered his star, yelling, "You look fat and hairy and disgusting!  You make movies that are long and boring, with a million epilogues and a homosexual subtext!  And King Kong? What the fuck was that! I wish you’d never been born!"  Then he burst into tears and ran back to his trailer where he watched Lifetime movies until he puked chocolate all over his furry nuts and fell asleep.