The Lovely Bones has had some controversy in the past. If you’ll recall, Jackson released Ryan Gosling from the picture immediately before shooting was to begin reportedly because Gosling had gained too much weight and was becoming a bit of a nuisance. This story was never officially confirmed, but Mark Wahlberg did take over Gosling’s role as the father in the film.

The Lovely Bones tells the story of a 14-year-old girl named Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) who is raped, murdered, and dismembered by a neighbor. Over the next few years Susie watches from a personalized heaven as her family and friends deal with their grief even as Susie continues to keep an eye on the man who murdered her.

I read the book and found it to be a fairly good book full of drama and a lot of potential for a film. I’m a little worried about what Jackson has in mind, however, after hearing what some of the actors have said. His casting was already a bit sketchy as Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as the parents is a bit of a stretch. But then Susan Sarandon, who plays the grandmother in the film, had this to say while she was on the red carpet for Speed Racer:

“I just finished that yes,” she said. “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.”

I’m not exactly sure what Peter Jackson is having Sarandon doing that she would be the “comic relief” in this story (and I don’t think Sarandon had much of an idea either). There’s not much comic relief in the book for obvious reasons. Somehow I think the emotional impact of the film could be hurt if this is played too far to the comedy side. Seems strange.

At any rate, The Lovely Bones should be out sometime in the Fall of 2009 and we can all see for ourselves. I recommend reading the book if you get a chance just to see how the film stacks up when it comes out.

Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Michael Imperioli, Rose McIver and Carolyn Dando star in the film, co-written by Jackson and his King Kong and Lord of the Rings partners Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh.

Gosling would be the fourth Jack Ryan after Alec Baldwin (The Hunt For Red October), Harrison Ford (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) and Ben Affleck (The Sum of All Fears).

The road to making Gosling into Jack Ryan is long and strange, and, apparently, no longer involves Tom Clancy. Philip Noyce, the director of ’the 90s Jack Ryan films starring Harrison Ford, “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger” was once attached to direct a fifth Jack Ryan film but is now saying that he is no longer attached but one is, in fact, being prepped to stay Gosling.

Noyce was once set to direct Ford as Ryan in “The Sum of All Fears,” but Ford didn’t like the script and dropped out. The studio then decided that it would be a great idea to “reboot” the series and make the character younger so they rewrote the script and cast Affleck as the younger Ryan. The plan was to follow that film up with “Red Rabbit” which Tom Clancy actually wrote with the younger character (and new movie series) in mind. Unfortunately, the numbers for “Sum” weren’t great and Ben Affleck’s career took a bit of a nosedive for a while and the idea was quickly dropped.

Fast forward a little and Noyce is attached to direct a film entitled “By Any Means Necessary” about “a cop who turns to a mobster for inside information to prevent a terrorist attack.â€Â? Well, Paramount Pictures owns the Jack Ryan character and somewhere along the way decides to develop this film as a Jack Ryan picture (without any Tom Clancy involvement). Noyce leaves the project, but Anton Fuqua (Training Day) comes aboard and everyone starts talking Ryan Gosling. I guess Ben Affleck is now too old?

There’s little doubt that Gosling is on the Hollywood fast track for A-list status so he’s a good choice if they really want to revive the series. The question I have is, why? The world loved Jack Ryan when he was being played by Harrison Ford, but I think a lot of that was Harrison Ford and really good filmmaking. I’m not so sure the world is in love with the character of Jack Ryan even if they do like reading the Tom Clancy books he’s featured in. It seems to me that it would make more sense to just create a new character and go forward without all the baggage (backstory that no longer makes sense) of the Jack Ryan character.

I’m not even sure why Gosling would want to tackle this character. Jack Ryan isn’t exactly James Bond, and, at this point, the character has gone through so many changes it doesn’t seem like the kind of role he’s been choosing up to this point. I understand how he might want to find a possible franchise character but I’m not sure Jack Ryan should be it.

What do you guys think? Any Tom Clancy fans pissed off about this?

So why did Ryan Gosling drop out of the movie? Did he even drop out? A lot of people don’t seem to think so. The official word, of course, was that he left because of “creative differences,” but everyone knows that’s a blanket statement that covers pretty much anything and everything.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the not-exactly-slim-himself Jackson was surprised to see that Gosling had traded his marquee good looks to gain 20 lbs of weight or as the Times specifically says, looking like Gosling had arrived to the set wearing a “fat suit” and missing “movie star allure.”

Gosling had apparently told the director he was going to gain weight to age himself up to play the part of a grieving father, but Jackson was still expecting some movie star allure — not paunch and a beard.

The New York Post’s Page Six, however, said it went way beyond the weight problem. Apparently Gosling was fussy and difficult and simply rubbed the New Zealand director the wrong way.

“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.”

Gosling wouldn’t be the first actor to gain fame and a healthy sense of self-worth on his way up the food ladder in Hollywood. Deadline Hollywood says not to believe the hype about the weight being a problem, though.

“Ryan and Peter both believed that if he put on a little weight, and perhaps added a beard, that it would age him up. In the end, Ryan felt he couldn’t make the age leap in a way he felt good about.”

They did, however, back up the claims circulating around Hollywood and many of the major gossip pages that Gosling has become difficult to work with.

Jackson “had a very hard time” with Gosling and was “irked” by his behavior. “Jackson didn’t want to work with him after spending time with him in Pittsburgh,” the insider says, “And the thought was that Ryan went overboard with the weight gain.”

If these rumors are true I find it to be a shame. I have been a fan of Gosling’s since really taking notice of him in Murder By Numbers. He’s done some great work and I think he’s a tremendous talent. There’s really no excuse for letting arrogance get in the way of your work ethic and Hollywood has a way of punishing those who get too big for their britches (remember when Val Kilmer was a real star?).

Of course, the official word is still “creative differences.” The word from his people is that he’s 26 and was trying to play a 36 year old. He thought the weight and a beard would help him pull that off, but it just wasn’t working.

I suppose Wahlberg will be a good replacement for him. He looks older than Gosling and I don’t think he likes to cut his own hair. His demands are no more difficult than leaving him alone when he’s doing his crunches, providing him a full length mirror, and making smoothies when the Funky Bunch drops by.

I mention this bookstore because not so long ago I picked up a copy of Alice Sebold’s, The Lovely Bones, in the bargain bin for $1. I had already heard that Peter Jackson was planning to direct the movie version of “The Lovely Bones” and that Ryan Gosling was set to star so I bought the book without thinking. I actually started reading it this past weekend.

Having a picture of Ryan Gosling in my head as I read the story makes it harder for me now to adjust to the idea that Ryan Gosling will no longer be playing the part of the father in this story. If you’ve never heard of The Lovely Bones it’s basically a story about a 14-year-old girl from suburban Pennsylvania who is murdered by her neighbor. She tells the story from Heaven, showing the lives of the people around her and how they have changed while attempting (hoping?) to get someone to find her lost body.

Gosling had gained 20 pounds and grew out a beard to play the role of the grieving father. Variety is reporting, however, that he dropped out the day before shooting was to start due to “creative differences” which is pretty much a blanket reason in Hollywood that could mean almost anything.

The script was passed to Mark Wahlberg yesterday who read it and quickly committed to taking over Gosling’s former role. He will be joining Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and a remaining cast of relative unknowns.

I have only read two-thirds of the book but I can certainly see why Jackson would be drawn to the material. It’s an emotional and moving story about love and loss that almost everyone can relate to in some way. It does, however, seem an odd choice of material for Jackson to direct. It is unlike anything he’s done to this point. I suppose it makes sense that he would want to do something other than the big Hollywood tent-pole film, but it will be interesting to see if he has the subtle touch this material will require to make the audience respond.

The film begins shooting today in Pennsylvania, where Wahlberg most recently wrapped the lead in the M. Night Shyamalan directed “The Happening” for Fox. Peter Jackson wrote the script adaptation with his “The Lord of the Rings” partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

The film does not yet have a release date.