AceShowbiz -

John Legend is in negotiations to star in upcoming musical dramedy "La La Land", according to Variety. The "Glory" hitmaker will join Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in his first feature film since 2008's "Soul Man".

The project is written and directed by "Whiplash" helmer Damien Chazelle. Other stars include J.K. Simmons, Finn Wittrock, Sonoya Mizuno, Jessica Rothe and Callie Hernandez. It's still unknown what role John will play but with his background as R&B singer, it can be expected that his character will likely sing or play instrument in the film.

Damien described the project as "a contemporary love story. It's about two dreamers in Los Angeles who are trying to make it. Their dreams bring them together but also end up pulling them apart. It's about how you kind of balance life and art and your dream life with reality, which to me is what musicals are all about."

Emma and Ryan replaced Miles Teller and Emma Watson who departed from "La La Land" for other projects. Emma will star as Mia, an aspiring actress who's lonely and desperate to fit in while Ryan will play charismatic jazz pianist Sebastian. The movie is slated for a July 15, 2016 release.