Joe and Anthony Russo are returning to Netflix for another action blockbuster. The Avengers: Endgame directors will helm The Gray Man, which will reunite them with Chris Evans. Ryan Gosling will also join the project as the lead.
Gosling will play ex-CIA operative Court Gentry, who is being hunted down by his former partner Lloyd Hansen, played by Evans. The film is based on a series of novels by Mark Greaney. The Russo brothers will produce the film under their AGBO banner. Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are writing the screenplay for the film.
"The idea is to create a franchise and build out a whole universe," Joe Russo said in an interview, "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."
Anthony Russo then pointed to the features of the upcoming project that would appeal to fans of the Russos' work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stating, "For those who were fans of Captain America: Winter Soldier, this is us moving into that territory in more of a real-world setting." The film is being produced on a budget of $200 million, making it Netflix's most expensive original film.
(via Variety)