I'm going to be very, very presumptuous and assume that Bradley Cooper feels a touch guilty about the success of The Hangover Part II, the unfunny and unoriginal sequel the breakout hit comedy that's an even bigger hit, and has doubtlessly made Cooper even wealthier than he was before. I'm sure Cooper doesn't regret the cash and stardom that's come along with his role the Hangover franchise, but by picking his next role in The Place Beyond The Pines, an indie crime drama also starring Ryan Gosling, Cooper sends to be sending a pretty clear message: yeah, I know The Hangover Part II was easy money; now let me show you what I can really do.

Cooper had been rumored for a role in the film earlier this month, and today Variety that he's all set to join the film, which reunites Gosling with his Blue Valentine writer and director Derek Cianfrance. Just off his turn as a getaway driver in Nicolas Winding Refn's Cannes hit Drive, Gosling will once again be playing a criminal, a professional motorcycle driver who turns to a life of crime. Cooper will play the cop on his tail. Production starts in upstate New York in July; between this and his plans to start in a remake of The Crow, Cooper seems pretty determined to keep The Hangover from defining him, which you've got to admire.