Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell are to star in Tough Guys.

The pair are in talks to join the cast and produce the action-comedy that is in development at Amazon MGM Studios.

A synopsis for the film reads: "Fed up with being 'disposable', two henchmen break free from the criminal underworld and rewrite the rules as they abandon their ruthless boss and dodge the elite assassin on their trail."

Gosling, 44, is said to have helped bring Ferrell on board for the flick after he was won over by the script, which has been written by Daniel Gold.

The two actors have existing relationships with Amazon MGM and Ryan will star in the studio's sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary next year.

Will, 58, is also a regular in the studio's projects and featured in the rom-com You're Cordially Invited earlier this year.

Gosling is in talks to serve as a producer on Tough Guys alongside Jessie Henderson through their General Admission banner while Ferrell is also in negotiations to produce with Jessica Elbaum through Gloria Sanchez Productions.

Meanwhile, Ryan is set to star in the upcoming Star Wars movie Star Wars: Starfighter and director Shawn Levy has backed the Barbie star to bring a "uniquely cool ethos" to the long-running sci-fi franchise.

The Deadpool and Wolverine filmmaker said: "If you can have Ryan Gosling in anything you make, do that, because that's going to make the thing so much better and cooler."

Levy is convinced that the Hollywood heartthrob and Star Wars will be a match made in heaven.

The 56-year-old director said: "I haven't seen that pairing, and that gets me really excited."

Gosling's starring role was confirmed at a Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo in April and Shawn said during the announcement that collaborating with the La La Land actor was a "dream come true".

He said: "I had heard at one point that my movie was going to star Ryan Gosling and, believe me, that would be a dream come true for me. So today, I just wanted to tell you here in this room that that rumour is 100 per cent true."

The Night at the Museum helmer is determined to tell a "new and original" Star Wars story.

He explained: "[There are] so many opportunities to tell a Star Wars story that has all the heart and action and fun of Star Wars, but to do it in ways that are new and original."

Ryan explained that the movie is a true passion project as he has loved the franchise since he was a child - with pictures of his Star Wars bedsheets shown to the audience at the event.

He said: "The reality is that this script is just so good. It has such a great story with great and original characters.

"It's filled with so much heart and adventure, and there just really is not a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn.

"You can see from the picture, I guess I was probably dreaming about Star Wars before I even saw the film.

"And it's probably framed my idea of what a movie even was."