Lionsgate has quietly corrected a decade-old detail in “La La Land” marketing, releasing an updated version of the film’s iconic poster that adjusts Ryan Gosling’s hand position ahead of the movie’s 10th anniversary theatrical return.
The original 2016 artwork shows Gosling and Emma Stone dancing against a Los Angeles sunset in Griffith Park, each with one arm raised. Stone’s hand points upward. Gosling’s lies flat, a choice he made in the moment and has spent years publicly regretting. The studio unveiled the revised poster Monday at an anniversary celebration held at Griffith Observatory, where Lionsgate’s head of worldwide television marketing, Justin Manfredi, told attendees the difference between the two versions is stark.
Gosling first opened up about the pose in a 2024 interview with WSJ Magazine, explaining that he improvised the flat-handed gesture on set, convinced it looked sharper than the raised-hand pose the choreography called for. He said the moment has followed him ever since, coining the nickname “La La Hand” for what he now considers a mistake that drained energy from the shot. His partner, Eva Mendes, has echoed the sentiment publicly, calling it one of his enduring regrets.
Gosling took an early stab at correcting the record himself in March, restaging the pose in character as astronaut Ryland Grace alongside his animated co-star Rocky while promoting “Project Hail Mary.” That version, posted to the film’s Instagram account, mirrored the original composition but swapped Stone for the puppet. Lionsgate’s new poster instead alters Gosling’s original image directly, angling his hand to match Stone’s.
Directed by Damien Chazelle, “La La Land” follows a jazz pianist and an aspiring actress navigating love and ambition in Los Angeles. The film won six Academy Awards, including best director, and took home a record seven Golden Globes on its way to a $447 million global gross against a $30 million budget. It returns to theaters August 16 in Dolby Cinema at AMC locations nationwide. A Broadway adaptation remains in development, with Tony winner Bartlett Sher attached to direct, though producers have not announced a premiere date.
