Wahlberg Replaces Gosling in 'Lovely Bones'

By Katey Rich

Peter Jackson isn't exactly a director with a reputation for not being able to make up his mind�he spent years and years on one project, after all�but this weekend marked the second time Jackson replaced his leading actor on the eve of shooting. Ryan Gosling bowed out of Jackson's upcoming The Lovely Bones on Friday, after gaining 20 pounds and growing a beard for the role (as reported by Variety). The always-reliable Mark Wahlberg has stepped in instead, and will star opposite Rachel Weisz as a father grieving his murdered young daughter.

Jackson pulled the old switcheroo back at the beginning of shooting for the mammoth Lord of the Rings trilogy, replacing Stuart Townsend with Viggo Mortensen in the key role of Aragorn just before shooting began. Now, of course, it's impossible to imagine anyone but Mortensen playing the role. When it comes to The Lovely Bones, Jackson has once again replaced a younger actor with someone older--Mortenson is 20 years old than Townsend, Wahlberg 9 years older than Gosling. Given that Wahlberg and Weisz are the same age--36--their pairing makes more sense, especially since Gosling, at 27, isn't old enough to be a parent of a teenager anyway.

Still, odds are there's more than just age-tinkering going on here. Gosling quit due to "creative differences," which could mean anything, but must be serious given the commitment he'd made to the film thus far (and the high profile of the film, particularly for an actor whose star is still on the rise). Though Gosling has gotten plenty of critical attention lately, for turns in last year's Half Nelson and this fall's most bizarre romantic comedy, Lars and the Real Girl, he doesn't have nearly the same recognition as Wahlberg, who has performed well in the past as part of a well-known ensemble (Boogie Nights, The Departed). Still, Jackson doesn't need a big-name actor in the part; based on a best-selling novel and directed by one of the biggest names out there, The Lovely Bones will have all the attention it can handle when it is released next year.

Bottom line: something big has happened to result in this switch. Gosling's career probably isn't doomed, but it's hard to see how being in this film would have hurt him professionally. We probably won't hear tales of catfights and brawls on set--thank God--but it seems like a safe bet that there was bad blood somewhere. Wahlberg seems fully capable of taking on the role, but it's hard not to wonder what Gosling could have done with it.

UPDATE: Kim Masters over at Slate says that "a strong source" confirms a blowup between Gosling and Jackson. Maybe those grisly details will be coming forward after all!