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Ryan Gosling Reveals Why Critically Acclaimed Action-Comedy Didn't Get a Sequel

By Monica Coman

Published Apr 24, 2024

Ryan Gosling is enjoying a lot of popularity for his role in 2023's Barbie, but it was in this action film that he truly showed his comic timing.

Ryan Gosling has just shared a disappointing update about The Nice Guys' sequel chances. The action-comedy also starred Russell Crowe and opened up to huge critical acclaim.

Gosling has proven his acting skills in different projects throughout the years, from his early days on The Mickey Mouse Club, to his latest role in 2023's Barbie, which culminated with his third Oscar nomination. However, one of the projects that should've gotten a sequel is The Nice Guys. The film went on to become a cult hit after its premiere in 2016, but it didn't happen immediately, and the positive reviews the film had weren't enough to receive a follow-up following its commercial failure.

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Speaking with ComicBook.com, the Barbie actor opened up about the reasons why The Nice Guys didn't receive a sequel. “So much of a sequel, I think, is decided by the opening weekend of a movie, and we opened up against Angry Birds,” Gosling explained. “So Angry Birds just, just destroyed us. Angry Birds got a sequel.” The Angry Birds Movie 2 premiered in 2019. The first film grossed $352.8 million worldwide, with its sequel making $152.2 million (via The Numbers).

With Shane Black at the helm, The Nice Guys had a positive reception, and the film was Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It currently boasts a 91% score from the critics and 79% from the audience. However, despite the encouraging reviews, the audience didn't go to see it in theaters, and it only found its success when it hit the streaming platforms. The Nice Guys ended its run with $59.5 million worldwide at the box office, which was a huge commercial disappointment considering its $50 million budget (via The Numbers).

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The Nice Guys Cast Wanted a Sequel

The Nice Guys followed private detective Holland March (Gosling) and violent enforcer Jackson Healy teaming up to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl, Amelia. Although Gosling received huge praise for his comic timing in 2023's blockbuster Barbie, it was The Nice Guys where Gosling first proved his knack for comedy.

Over the years, there have been many conversations surrounding The Nice Guys 2. In a 2023 interview, Crowe joked that they came up with possible titles for the sequel. "We wanted to call it Nice Guys: The Mexican Detectives. Bang! It's me and Ryan, somehow we've got to pretend we're Mexican detectives."

Director Black even said that there were plans to spin off the concept into a television show. "We tried it as a TV show," Black told Slash Film back in 2022. "We caught the characters, but the plot was totally different. It was set in the present day, and no one wanted to buy it. We had to look elsewhere."

The Nice Guys is currently available to stream on Apple TV+.

Source: ComicBook.com, The Numbers, Slash Film