Both a prequel and a sequel to Netflix's The Gray Man are reportedly in development.
According to Empire Magazine, a prequel to The Gray Man (2022) is reportedly currently in development by Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, with Chris Evans starring as the villainous Lloyd Hansen. A sequel is in the works as well starring Ryan Gosling, which will be written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who penned all three of Marvel Studios' Captain America movies (The First Avenger, Winter Soldier and Civil War). Plans for the prequel and sequel are supposedly in the very early stages.
Based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man stars Gosling as Court Gentry, an ex-CIA operative, who is being hunted by his former partner Lloyd Hansen, portrayed by Evans, with Ana de Armas appearing in a starring role as well. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the screenplay for The Gray Man was written by Joe Russo, Markus and McFeely and is produced through the Russo brothers' production company, AGBO.
In a previous interview, Joe Russo stated that the goal was to create a larger franchise for The Gray Man, depending on the film's success. "The idea is to create a franchise and build out a whole universe...," he said. "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 character gets burned by the CIA and Evans' character has to hunt him down."
According to co-director Anthony Russo, The Gray Man holds some similarities to their previous efforts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly the Captain America films. "For those who were fans of Captain America: Winter Soldier, this is us moving into that territory in more of a real-world setting," Russo said. The Russo brothers directed the first three Captain America films for Marvel Studios, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
It was announced that Gosling and Evans had been added to the upcoming action film in July 2020. The Gray Man is set for a limited release on July 15, before its release on Netflix on July 22 and, with a production budget of $200 million, it will be the most expensive film Netflix has ever made.
The Gray Man premieres on July 15.
Source: Empire Magazine, via Twitter