Ryan Gosling in talks to play Houdini and Doctor Strange

The actor could be set to return from his retirement from acting

Ryan Gosling said last year that he wanted to 'take a break' (Getty)

Ryan Gosling could soon be donning a straitjacket or superhero’s cape as he eyes up roles as Houdini and Doctor Strange.

Despite saying in an interview last year that he wanted “to take a break" from acting, Gosling is reportedly being courted by both Marvel and Summit studios for lead roles in their forthcoming films, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The star of The Notebook and Drive is in talks to take on the lead role in Doctor Strange, the latest instalment in the Marvel franchise, and has also been offered the part of the escape artist in Summit’s The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero.

Joaquin Phoenix had previously been wanted to portray Doctor Strange but the role was left open after talks reportedly broke down. Other big names linked to the part include Ethan Hawke, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jared Leto.

The film, about a former neurosurgeon who is tasked with protecting the Earth under the title of Sorcerer Supreme, is being direct by Scott Derrickson and is scheduled for release in 2016.

Meanwhile, The Secret Life of Houdini recasts Houdini as an investigator of the world of the occult as well as a master escape artist.

Johnny Depp was due to play the lead, but the actor has commitments with Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

It remains to be seen whether Gosling will take up any of the offers. Speaking to the Associated Press last year he said: “I've been [acting] too much. I've lost perspective on what I'm doing. I think it's good for me to take a break and reassess why I'm doing it and how I'm doing it.

“And I think this is probably a good way to learn about that. I need a break from myself as much as I imagine the audience does.”