Ryan Gosling to produce Busby Berkeley biopic and possibly play lead role

The actor has been attached to the Warner Bros project

Gosling has been attached to the film, about a famous Hollywood director from the Golden Age (AP)

Warner Bros is lining up Ryan Gosling for a starring role in a biopic about Busby Berkeley, the famous director and choreographer of muscials from Hollywood's golden age.

The studio has optioned Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley by Jeffrey Spivak for an adaptation to be produced by Marc Platt and Gosling, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed.

Platt and Gosling previously worked together on the 2011 crime thriller Drive.

No writer is yet attached to the project, but the studio is said to be planning to cast Gosling in the lead role of Berkeley. The actor may also direct the film.

Taking on the role would mark a change of mood for Gosling, who last year said he wanted to take a break from acting.

"I've been doing it too much," he told the Associated Press. "I've lost perspective on what I'm doing. I think it's good for me to take a break and reassess why I'm doing it and how I'm doing it. And I think this is probably a good way to learn about that. I need a break from myself as much as I imagine the audience does."

Berkeley was well-known for his elaborate musical productions including Hollywood hits 42 Street and Gold Diggers of 1993, both of which he choreographed for Warners.

He was especially famous for his dance routines, involving complex geometric patterns and large numbers of show girls, and earned three Oscar nominations for the now defunct category best dance direction.

Platt himself has experience in working on musicals. He produced Broadway's Wicked and is currently working on Disney's adaptation of the Broadway musical In the Woods, which is due for release in December. He also produced Legally Blonde, which was turned into a Broadway musical.

Gosling made his directorial debut with How to Catch a Monster, which is due for release later this year.

Chnatal Nong will oversee the Berkeley project for the studio.