Is Ryan Gosling the Next Brad Pitt?

Actor Ryan Gosling (L) attends the Premiere of Columbia Pictures' "The Ides Of March" held at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theatre on September 27, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Getty Images)more pics In 2011, Ryan Gosling starred in three films: the rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love., the action-drama Drive, and the political thriller The Ides of March. As the handsome, talented actor becomes more of a household name, we wonder if he can rise the ranks and evolve into Hollywood's next Brad Pitt.

Ryan Gosling and a cute pooch enjoy the sun while shooting scenes for his upcoming film Gangster Squad. Also starring Emma Stone, Josh Brolin, and Sean Penn, the movie will hit theaters October 19, 2012 -- yes 12. (PacificCoastNews.com)

Aside from their more obvious aesthetic similarities -- they're both blonde haired, blue eyed men -- there's more in common between these two stars then you'd imagine, particularly when we compare Pitt's earlier years with Gosling's present.

We realize Gosling doesn't have a superstar wife, nor does he attract the same press attention as Pitt. But considering the young Canadian actor's 17 years younger than the 47-year-old American, time's certainly on his side. While he hasn! 't becom e the next Brad Pitt just yet, here's a few clues that suggest he may make the leap sooner than later.

From Indie Darling to Blockbuster Star

As we mentioned earlier, the 30-year-old actor has had no problem keeping busy in Hollywood. Yet, for the moment, Gosling hasn't showcased his talents in one blockbuster -- Drive, Crazy, Stupid, Love., and The Ides of March had a combined budget of just $70 million. In comparison, Pitt's 2004 epic Troy cost $175 million alone.

But when Troy hit theaters, its star was already 40-years-old. If you jump back nine more years to 1995, at which time Pitt was roughly the same age as Gosling, you'll notice he took on two critically acclaimed, lower budget films: Se7en and Twelve Monkeys. The former has become a cult classic, while the latter garnered him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

For now, Gosling doesn't have any blockbusters lined up, but given his young age, we're willing to give him a few years to get his art house work fix of the way.

Sex Appeal

Even if the vast majority of Zimbio readers feel Robert Pattinson has more hunk in him than the Drive star, you can't deny the blond looks great in a leather jacket. And besides, there's a reason why so many gir! lfriends dragged the men in their lives to see The Notebook three times in theaters, and that reason has a name: Gosling.

While the guy hasn't officially dated anyone since breaking up with Rachel McAdams in 2007, he's been rumored to have had flings with Blake Lively, Olivia Wilde and most recently, Eva Mendes.

Then there's Pitt, who has twice been named the sexiest man alive by People magazine, once in 1985 and again in 2000. One has Angelina Jolie as a wife, while the other remains single. But both are unquestionably good looking dudes who bring more than just acting chops to the table when they hit the big screen.Avoiding the Pigeonhole

Pitt didn't become a global star solely because he's nice to look at. Sure, women might love the man, but they're not the only ones. If you were to walk into five different dudes' college dorm rooms ten years ago, one of them would likely have had a Fight Club poster on his wall. You know, the one with the bar of soap.

But not only that, Pitt never let himself become pigeonholed. From intense dramas like Seven Years in Tibet to bloody action flicks like Inglourious Basterds, to oddball comedies such as Burn After Reading, he's kept his roles diverse, while! maintai ning his A-List image.

In a similar vein, one glance at Gosling's filmography will tell you the actor's not afraid of tackling various projects. He made us laugh in Crazy, Stupid, Love., got our adrenaline racing in Drive, and ripped our hearts out in Blue Valentine. And although we don't expect him to sign on to a Michael Bay project anytime soon, it wouldn't surprise us to see the Canadian one day star in an absurdly expensive, high-flying blockbuster. We only hope it will involve dragons, laser beams, and ideally, Nicolas Cage.