The script for Tales From The Gangster Squad has been floating around since 2008, but is finally close to actually getting made. A period piece about 1940s LAPD squaring off against mobsters Mickey Cohen and Bugsy Siegel, offers were put out to both Ben Affleck and Darren Aronofsky last year before Reuben Fleischer took the gig. Now all the movie needs is a cast as it heads towards production and now offers are out for some of the bigger roles.

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has reached out to both Sean Penn and Ryan Gosling to play roles in the film, which has apparently been retitled Gangster Squad. Penn has been offered the villainous Cohen, while Gosling would play one of the two lead police roles. Based on a script by Will Beall, a former LAPD officer himself, the story is based on a series of articles written by Paul Lieberman.

There are certainly worse directions to go with this film than by casting Sean Penn and Ryan Gosling in two major roles, and it would be great to see them both sign on if not just so we can experience them going head-to-head.