Actors Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling have joined the cast of police drama `The Nice Guys`, which will be helmed by Shane Black.

Warner Bros. has acquired North American rights to the project, which is being produced by Joel Silver, reports variety.com.

The script, co-written by Black with Anthony Bagarozzi, is set in Los Angeles during the 1970s and centered on a pair of detectives investigating the seeming suicide of a female porn star whose career was on the decline - leading to the uncovering of a criminal conspiracy.

The script has been in development for several years.

Gosling was seen last year in `Gangster Squad`, `The Place Beyond the Pines` and `Only God Forgives` and made his directorial debut on `Lost River.`

Crowe was last seen in `Noah` and is in post-production on his directorial debut on historical drama `The Water Diviner.`

News about Crowe and Gosling considering the project was first reported by The Wrap site.