Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and Steve Carell start work on 'The Big Short'

NEW ORLEANS, April 23 (UPI) -- Production has begun in New Orleans on The Big Short, a real estate-themed film starring Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling.

Written and directed by Adam McKay, the big-screen adaptation of Michael Lewis' bestselling non-fiction book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine will co-star Melissa Leo, Rafe Spall, Finn Wittrock, Jeremy Strong, Tracy Letts, Hamish Linklater, John Magaro and Marisa Tomei.

The film is described in press notes provided by Paramount Pictures, New Regency and Plan B Entertainment as "the remarkable true story of the genius contrarian investors who, recognizing just how insane the housing bubble had become, figured out how to 'short' the market prior to the financial collapse of 2008."

Tomei, Carell and Gosling previously worked together on the 2011 comedy Crazy Stupid Love.