Ryan Reynolds likes to mix his big budget Hollywood flicks with a few smaller movies where he gets to flex his acting muscles. He’s going for the latter with Mississippi Grind, which Deadline reports he’s just signed on for, from Half Nelson writer/directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden.
The film is about a veteran gambler, who is over his head in debt. He recruits a younger gambling addict (Jake Gyllenhaal) to raise enough money to pay down his money owed. They travel across the American south with a vision to win back the money he lost. The producers are still searching for someone to play the older gambler.
Jake Gyllenhaal was previously attached to star, but it appears he’s off the project and Reynolds is taking his role. The current plan is to shoot early next year.