Ryan Gosling Out? Matt Damon Tipped to Lead Daniels' Next Sci-Fi Action Thriller

The Daniels — those mad filmmaking geniuses behind Everything Everywhere All at Once — have finally started to pull the curtain back on their next film. If you remember, EEAAO completely swept the Oscars circuit not so long ago, nabbing seven Academy Awards. The pressure with a follow-up like that? Absolutely ridiculous. So what have they cooked up this time? Well, it sounds... honestly, a bit bonkers yet again, and there’s already been a bit of a casting merry-go-round before anyone's even rolled the cameras.

Who’s in, who’s out?

Quick flashback: Ryan Gosling was originally attached to star in this new sci-fi thriller from the Daniels, which was a genuinely exciting bit of news — especially considering his monster success with Project Hail Mary. But don’t get too comfortable, because he’s already out. So, what happened?

Apparently, Gosling was keen on expanding his part. The Daniels weren’t fussed about that in theory, but practically, it meant the sort of script rewrites and delays the production simply couldn't handle. The schedule was set, the budget was locked, and no one could wait around. As a result, Gosling dropped out before things really got going.

With Gosling gone, the hunt for a new star turned into a bit of a Hollywood dartboard situation. Rumour had it Jack Black was being considered (which, frankly, would have given the project a completely different vibe), but the Daniels have now zeroed in on Matt Damon for the role. As of right now, Damon is 'in talks' rather than signed, but it looks fairly promising.

Here’s a neat twist: Damon stepping in for Gosling actually mirrors their real-world careers. Gosling just had his Andy Weir adaptation smash at the box office, and Weir’s The Martian was headlined by… you guessed it, Matt Damon. Is Hollywood just trying to keep the universe in balance? Who knows.

The plot: Buckle up

It wouldn’t be a Daniels movie without some truly odd plot machinery. From what’s leaked so far, the new as-yet-untitled epic is going all-in on time travel, climate catastrophe, and (potentially) superheroes — because why not throw that in as well? So, yes, another blend of genres and ideas, and almost certainly another fever dream in cinematic form.

This time, the story jumps between two key timelines: modern day and the 1980s. Two might not sound so wild, but it’s apparently pared down; the Daniels initially planned to cram in a third time period before film logistics forced a rethink. Unsurprisingly, this sort of structural maze is part of why it’s taken a while to get off the ground.

Characters and casting news

• Matt Damon (if all goes to plan) would be playing the father of one of the film’s teenage protagonists.
• The central cast will be made up of teenagers, with casting for these leads reportedly underway (very hush-hush for now).
• Once Damon’s name is on the dotted line, expect casting for his on-screen child — which should give us a better grip on how all these timelines and genres are going to fit together.

Damon’s schedule is looking busy: he’s got Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey coming to cinemas this July (which is likely to be massive), so adding a Daniels mind-bender straight after... fair play to him.

Production stakes

Why all the urgency? Well, one of the main sticking points in Gosling’s exit was that the production schedule could not budge. The team needs to start rolling later this year, which says they’ll want the cast locked soon — so it’s probably a matter of weeks before final confirming who’s playing who.

The big question is whether the Daniels can hit those ‘lightning in a bottle’ levels again, or if they’ll land somewhere completely different — but either way, this is a project every film nerd will want to watch extremely closely. As soon as those teenage leads are announced, expect the hype to crank up another notch.

Still waiting for some proper plot details, but if the Daniels’ track record is anything to go by, it’ll be both confusing and unmissable. As always, stay tuned — this film’s going to be one people are talking about for months, whether it’s for the cast, the wild premise, or just because the directors never take the easy route.