Avengers: Endgame directors the Russo brothers are re-teaming with Chris Evans for a new blockbuster. Titled The Gray Man, the new movie will be the filmmaking duo's first since Avengers broke box-office records and will be Netflix's most expensive movie to date. The reason for the price tag? Not only are they getting Captain America, but they have also snagged Ryan Gosling for the cast.
Deadline reports that Joe Russo has written the script with some added polish by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who scripted the Russo-directed Avengers flicks. The movie – which will cost upwards of $200 million and is expected to have the same scale of production as the James Bond movies – is based on Mark Greaney's 2009 novel The Gray Man, which centres on a freelance assassin and former CIA operative named Court Gentry.
Gosling will play Gentry and has reportedly signed on for multiple films in the franchise. Evans will play Lloyd Hansen, who hunts down Gosling's character, the pair being former enemies. The movie has been in development for some time, with Mission: Impossible – Fallout's Christopher McQuarrie once attached to direct, and before that with Ad Astra's James Gray on board and Brad Pitt aiming to star.
"The intention is for it to be competitive with any theatrical and the ability to do with Gosling and Evans is a dream for us," Joe Russo said of the announcement. "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. We have a great working relationship with Netflix... We think Netflix is the perfect place for this film."
"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,” Anthony Russo said. “For those who were fans of Captain 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 recently wrote Extraction for Netflix. The movie has quickly become the streaming service's most-watched original – so no wonder they want to reteam with the director. If you're looking for something new to watch, check out our list of the best Netflix movies.
