Ryan Gosling trades in his fast muscle car from Drive for an even faster dirt bike in the crime thriller The Place Beyond the Pines.

Pines re-teams Gosling with Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance for a movie that serves almost as an unofficial sequel to 2011’s Drive.

Gosling plays Luke, a motorcycle stuntman who turns to bank robbing to help make ends meet. That doesn’t sit too well with Bradley Cooper’s character, a rookie cop tasked with taking Luke down.

Joining the two are Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta and Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2).

A lucky few got a chance to see Pines when it screened last September at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it earned considerable praise. The film’s March 29 release date can’t get here fast enough.

Check out the gallery above, for new stills from “The Place Beyond the Pines.” Then tell us: do you think this film will be another box office hit for Gosling? 

First, Ron Howard announced that he was in talks to adapt Neil Gaiman‘s The Graveyard Book. Now, the director is reportedly circling another novel to turn into a movie: The Heart of the Sea. Howard could start shooting Sea as early as this fall for Warner Bros., re-teaming the director with Chris Hemsworth, the star of Howard’s upcoming Formula-One racing drama, Rush. Sea, set in the 19th Century, tells the story of sailors lost at sea after being attacked by a sperm whale. And yes, this tale went on to inspire the classic Moby Dick. [Vulture]

Chloe Grace Moretz, who recently wrapped work on the remake of Stephen King‘s Carrie, is attached to star next in an adaptation of YA novel If I Stay.

Twilight‘s Dakota Fanning was previously attached to star in the film, which tells the story of Mia, a 17-year-old cellist destined for big things, until a terrible car accident puts her in a coma. The story unfolds from Mia’s “out of body experience” while still in the coma. Nashville‘s RJ Cutler will direct, marking his feature film debut. [Variety]

Fresh off writing The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, one of the most talked about movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Michael Starrbury has landed a new gig. On Wednesday, it was announced that Starrbury will rewrite the script for Morgan Creek’s untitled  Tupac Shakur biopic. The film will chronicle the rapper’s rise to fame in the 1990s, culminating with his murder in 1996. A director has yet to sign on, but expect one to board the project soon. [Deadline]

The Muppets sequel keeps collecting quite the cast. First Tina Fey and Ricky Gervais, now Ray Liotta. The Goodfellas star has officially signed on to play an undisclosed role in the film, which starts shooting this month. This is not Liotta’s first run-in with the Muppets; he previously played a dim security guard in Muppets From Space. The Muppets sequel, rumored to be titled The Muppets…Again, is set for release on March 21, 2014. [Variety]

It was recently announced that January Jones will return for Mad Men‘s sixth season, but will she reprise her role as the villainous Emma Frost for the X-Men: First Class sequel? “I don’t know that I’m in it, I don’t think Emma’s in this one,” Jones told Collider.com on Thursday. While Jones has yet to hear from X-Men: Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer regarding her character’s return, she does remain slightly optimistic. “I wouldn’t put it past them though. I got the script for the first one on the airplane on the way there.” [Collider]

Coen Brothers fans? We saved the best for last. The first trailer for the Coens’ new movie, Inside Llewyn Davis, is now online. Drive‘s Oscar Isaac plays the titular folk singer, who is struggling to find his way on the music scene in the 1960s. Frequent Coen collaorator John Goodman (The Big Lebowski) also stars. Watch the trailer below.

Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis is now available. The story centers on the titular folk singer/songwriter, played by Oscar Isaac, who struggles to find his way in New York’s Greenwich Village in the 1960s.

Will you see Channing Tatum’s new movie? Check out the trailer for Tatum’s other big release this year, GI Joe: Retaliation, then chime in below in the comments!

Brad Pitt returns to the big screen playing against type as a mob enforcer in director Andrew Dominik’s violent crime thriller, Killing Them Softly.

Based on the novel Cogan’s Trade, Soflty stars Pitt as a man hunting down two crooks who ripped off a Mob-backed card game. While Pitt may be a newcomer to the gangster genre, most of his co-stars are not. The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini  and Goodfellas’s Ray Liotta also star.

So how does Pitt’s latest fare with the critics? Read on to find out…

Despite the reteaming of critical favorite Dominik with his Assassination of Jesse James leading man, reactions to the film are decidedly mixed.

The film’s story and pacing are baring the brunt of the critical barrage, while Pitt and the strong supporting cast are coming out relatively unscathed.

Those expecting another Moneyball-sized hit for the star may want to start tempering their expectations.

Celebuzz has rounded up a cross section of critics’ reviews from across the country to help audiences make their ticket-buying decisions for the weekend.

A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“Killing Them Softly is more concerned with conjuring an aura of meaningfulness than with actually meaning anything. It takes place entirely in a universe of tropes and archetypes, which is a polite way of saying clichés and pretensions.”

Allison Wilmore, Movieline.com

“Dominik shows an open appreciation for his actors and for the way tough guys, aspiring and genuine, talk to each other – and Killing Them Softly is as much centered around talking as it is action. Pitt, playing a practical know-it-all who falls somewhere between Rusty Ryan and Tyler Durden, is terribly entertaining…”

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“Killing Them Softly continues as a dismal, dreary series of cruel and painful murders… It seems as if I’ve been seeing versions of this story since forever. ”

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“The acting is aces, especially Pitt mixing it up with the superb James Gandolfini, as an assassin losing his game to hooch and hookers. They make this movie a potently nasty provocation.”

Karina Longworth, Village Voice

“It’s a movie that shows, and then tells, tells, and tells again, its vibrant conjuring of contemporary cynicism felled by Dominik’s lack of faith in his audience’s ability to connect thematic dots.”

Will you see Killing Them Softly this weekend? Sound off in the comments, and to tide you over, watch the film’s trailer on Celebuzz!

Brad Pitt returns to the big screen this weekend with the crime thriller Killing Them Softly, and Celebuzz has exclusive images showcasing Pitt’s badassery on display.

Killing reteams Pitt with his The Assassination of Jesse James director Andrew Dominik, featuring the World War Z star as a hired gun on the trail of two crooks who ripped off a Mob-backed card game.

The film, based on the book Cogan’s Trade, also has an impressive supporting cast that includes Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), Richard Jenkins (The Cabin in the Woods) and The Soprano’s James Gandolfini.

Killing hits theaters Friday, November 30. Click here to check out Celebuzz’ gallery, and watch the film’s theatrical trailer below.