I’m not quite sure who they are, but “They” have said that Ruben Flesicher is the man who will more than likely find his under pressure butt in the director’s chair for Warner Bros’ Justice League film. But before any of that can happen, Fleischer still has to bring us another film with a crime-fighting ensemble cast in Gangster Squad.
The film was delayed after the Colorado shootings in July, so that a scene involving a cinema shootout could be reworked, but this has also allowed WB to do some more promo work for the film, like having Fleischer provide a director’s commentary to some behind the scenes pics.
And for those of you with memories like a colander, here’s the plot synopsis just to provide some context to the images.
Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and–if he has his way–every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart. “The Gangster Squad” is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.
The pics come courtesy of W, where Fleischer did all of the below-mentioned commentary.
“This was our very first day of shooting. Josh Brolin plays John O-Mara, a hard-nosed cop headed into the hornet’s nest—mob boss Mickey Cohen’s HQ. He’s trapped in an elevator with two thugs, but he fights his way out.”
“A police chase ends with a crash through a skylight and directly into this studio during a pinup shoot with Bettie Page (played by Nancy McCrumb).”
“In this scene, Ryan Gosling’s character, Jerry Wooters (a cop), introduces himself to Grace Faraday, played by Emma Stone. Obviously they have great chemistry.”
“Me and Nick Notle, who plays the police cheif, Bill Parker. In the script, he’s likened to Richard the Lionheart. Only Nolte could pull that off.”
“One of my favorite locations: Clifton’s, a real restaurant that’s been in Los Angeles since the thirties. A time warp.”
“It was hard to re-create vintage LA—there are so many tall buildings now. We had to go to the outer reaches of the city, to neighborhoods like Sylmar.”
“A turning point for Gosling’s character: A little kid gets killed by Cohen’s assassins in a shoot-out. This is when he decides to get on board—as it says in the script, ‘the long-sleeping cop comes to life.’”
“The full squad: Brolin, Robert Patrick, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena, Gosling and Giovanni Ribisi. Six amazing actors—and some of the funniest dudes ever assembled.”
Gangster Squad will be out on its new revised release date of 11 January 2013.
Last Updated: September 19, 2012
