Netflix Goes Big With ‘The Gray Man’, A Russo Brothers Movie Starring Ryan Gosling And Chris Evans
Netflix has always wanted to prove they’re in the big leagues. They’ve attracted huge names – Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, and more – and continue to go for Oscar gold. And now they’re ready up their game in regards to blockbuster entertainment. The streaming service is ready to drop over $200 million to makeThe Gray Man, an espionage thriller directed bythe Russo Brothersand starringRyan GoslingandChris Evans. The plan is for the film to ultimately kick-off aJames Bond-sized franchise for the streaming giant.
Deadline has the scoop onThe Gray Man, a new Netflix movie set to be helmed by Joe & Anthony Russo. The Russo Brothers stepped away from blockbuster filmmaking to direct the smaller flickCherry, but it looks like they’re ready to go big again. Joe Russo wrote the script, which will be polished by Marvel Cinematic Universe writersChristopher MarkusandStephen McFeely, and certified handsome men Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans are starring.
The Gray Manis described as a “deadly duel between killers as a freelance assassin and former CIA operative named Court Gentry (Gosling) is hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Evans), a former cohort of Gentry’s at the CIA.” The movie is based on the Mark Greaney novel, which has a more detailed synopsis:
But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. Forces like money. And power. And there are men who hold these as the only currency worth fighting for. And in their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness.
But Court Gentry is going to prove that, for him, there’s no gray area between killing for a living and killing to stay alive…
The Gray Manis the first in a series of novels, and the plan is to expand the movie adaptation into a series as well, with Gosling expected to return for future installments.
“The movie is a real mano a mano between those two great actors, who represent two different versions of the CIA, in what it can be, and what it can do,” said Anthony Russo. “For those who were fans ofCaptain America: Winter Soldier, this is us moving into that territory in more of a real-world setting. That’s what this movie really means for us.”
Joe Russo added:
“The intention is for it to be competitive with any theatrical and the ability to do with with Gosling and Evans is a dream for us. The idea is to create a franchise and build out a whole universe, with Ryan at the center of it. We have all committed to the first movie and that’s got to be great to get us to the second movie. These are master assassins and Gosling’s characters gets burned by the CIA and Evans' character has to hunt him down.”
I know the Russo Brothers are pretty much movie making royalty in some circles at this point, but I’ve never found their direction to be that exciting. That said, I like both Gosling and Evans, and will definitely be givingThe Gray Mana chance whenever it arrives.
