Yesterday it was announced that Ryan Gosling dropped out of the film adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel Lovely Bones, and was instantly replaced by Mark Wahlberg - just hours before the movie started filming.

While Variety initially reported that Ryan had made the decision to "step down", it now seems the role replacement may have actually been the call of the film's director, Peter Jackson. According to Page Six, Ryan was displaying diva behavior that rubbed the Lord of the Rings director the wrong way.

"Peter couldn't stand Ryan," said one source..."Ryan cut his own hair, and was fighting with wardrobe. He was so demanding . . . Peter booted him two days before filming started."

But The LA Times asserts that the "creative differences" had more to do with disagreement over how homely versus hunky Ryan's character was supposed to be:

Peter Jackson was said to be quite surprised that Gosling had showed up to start work on "The Lovely Bones" looking like he'd donned a fat suit. According to sources, the 26-year-old Gosling had apparently told the director he was going to gain weight to age himself up to play the part of a grieving father, but Jackson was still expecting some movie star allure -- not paunch and a beard.

Poor Ryan, he tries to trade in his good looks for realistic acting - and he gets shafted. On the other hand, Jackson may have a point . . . because as a woman who saw The Notebook, I have to admit - Ryan's more fun to look at when he's a bit more trim and trimmed!

Why didn't Peter and Ryan just communicate about this whole appearance thing weeks ago, when Ryan was the still complaining about having to gain weight for the role?!! I mean, they might have had to put filming on hold in order for Ryan to re-lose some of the weight, but at least he would have been mentally prepared for the role. Will Mark Wahlberg's performance be nearly as good as Ryan's would have been , considering that he was given only a few hours get into character and start learning his lines??

Not to mention that broody Ryan is (in my humble opinion) a much stronger and more talented actor, especially when it comes to playing "tortured" characters - like the grieving father of a murdered daughter, as in Lovely Bones. Then again, Mark does have 10 years of age on Ryan, which make him more father-like. Plus, we all know "Marky Mark's" physique will give Peter Jackson plenty of that "movie stare allure" - if ya' know what I mean. Not that Ryan can't also look absssolutely adorable when he isn't trying to look so out of shape...

All in all, it's definitely a surprise and a shame that things ended badly between Ryan and Peter Jackson, considering that just 2 weeks ago Ryan was singing praises of the guy, saying how "excited" he was to work with a director who is "my kind of nuts" because "he's fearless as a director. He takes on things you kind of have to be crazy to take on."

I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, even in Hollywood!