Romantics swooned over him in The Notebook, and critics loved his turn as the doll-toting lead character in last year's Lars and the Real Girl -- and if the latest rumors are correct, Ryan Gosling could soon be adding "action hero" to his résumé.

According to Moviehole, Gosling "might be" Paramount's choice to take over the central role in the studio's next attempt to resurrect the studio's dormant Jack Ryan franchise. The fictional historian/CIA agent/President, created by Tom Clancy for 1984's The Hunt for Red October, has been the focus of multiple Clancy novels, four of which -- Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears -- have been made into movies.

Turnover in the role is nothing new -- Ryan has been played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck -- and a new film in the series has been rumored since 2006, when Moviehole reported that Paramount was interested in filming a script (now rumored to be titled By Any Means Necessary) not based on any of Clancy's books.

Even if he isn't the new Jack Ryan, however, Gosling is still lining up work: Variety reports that he's signed on to star in Andrew Jarecki's feature directing debut, All Good Things. The movie, described as a "period love story/murder mystery," will be filmed from a script by Jarecki, Marcus Hinchey, and Marc Smerling. According to Variety, Kirsten Dunst is in negotiations to star opposite Gosling. From the article:

Set in the 1980s, story centers on the scion of a New York real estate dynasty (Gosling) who falls for a beautiful girl from the wrong side of the tracks (Dunst). But the fairy tale ends when the girl disappears. As a down-and-out detective stumbles on info that may lead to the truth, the political stakes get higher and people close to the case end up dead.

Source: Moviehole
Source: Variety