Ryan Gosling on Atlanta? It almost happened

Ryan Gosling and Donald Glover? It was almost a match made in television heaven.

During the Los Angeles premiere of season 3 of Atlanta, Glover revealed to PEOPLE that he almost snagged the La La Land actor for a part on his acclaimed FX series.

"He said he was a big fan, but he had something else, and it just didn't work out," Glover told PEOPLE, adding that the two even talked on the phone and were trying to figure out how to make the casting work before a conflict came up.

"I was so bummed because the part was so great for him," Glover said.

Season 3 of Atlanta premiered Thursday, with EW critic Darren Franich calling the first two episodes "the show's boldest narrative experiment yet" and noting "after four long years away, it's a relief to report that creator Donald Glover and his collaborators have not lost their capacity for vital tone-clashing comedy."

Earlier this month, FX revealed that Atlanta's fourth season — which has already been shot as of last year — would be its last.

Glover reflected on the show's journey at the season 3 premiere, telling PEOPLE, "It was sad, because we all really grew up together, and none of us really knew what this was going to be. And everybody's grown up and has families [now]. It just feels very special. It was kind of sad just because endings are sad, but they also mean that you had something special."

Representatives for Glover and Gosling did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

The third season of Atlanta is currently airing on FX.

Related content:

• Every Atlanta episode ranked
• Atlanta dares you to try to make sense of its surreal season 3 trailer
• Atlanta to end with season 4