Netflix released the first trailer for its upcoming action thriller film The Gray Man, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.
The Gray Man is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. The movie stars Gosling as the CIA's most skilled operative Court Gentry, who is forced to go on the run after uncovering the agency's dark secrets. He becomes a target and is hunted around the world by his former partner Lloyd Hansen, portrayed by Evans, and several other international assassins.
The project was originally in development at New Regency in 2011, with James Gray and Brad Pitt set as the director and lead actor, respectively. However, both Gray and Pitt were no longer attached to the film when Charlize Theron entered talks to star in a genderswapped version of the story at Sony Pictures in October 2015. No further developments were announced until July 2020 when Netflix revealed they were working on a new adaptation of The Gray Man with Gosling and Evans in the lead roles. Anthony and Joe Russo were also announced to be directing the film, from a screenplay by Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. With a production budget of $200 million, it will be the most expensive film Netflix has ever made.
Joe Russo has stated that The Gray Man was developed as the first installment in a larger franchise. "The idea is to create a franchise and build out a whole universe," he said when he first boarded the project. A prequel and a sequel for The Gray Man were later announced to be in very early development at Netflix in May 2022. The prequel will be written by Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and focus on Evans' Lloyd Hansen. The sequel will be written by Markus and McFeely and follow Gosling's Court Gentry on a new mission.
In addition to Gosling and Evans, The Gray Man stars Ana de Armas as Dani Miranda, Regé-Jean Page as Denny Carmichael, Billy Bob Thornton as Donald Fitzroy and Alfre Woodard as Maurice Cahill with Jessica Henwick, Wagner Moura and Dhanush cast in undisclosed roles.
The Gray Man is set for a limited theatrical release on July 15, before premiering on Netflix on July 22.
Source: Twitter