The last time Chris Evans and the Russo Brothers got together for a movie, audiences around the world witnessed perhaps the greatest comic book movie moment of all time in Avengers: Endgame. And, while we probably won’t see Evan don the Captain America helmet or tighten his shield over a mangled arm, at some point in the not-so-distant future, we will see the Hollywood juggernauts team up for The Gray Man.
But, before the long-awaited spy thriller, which also stars Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, and Regé-Jean Page, lands on Netflix, there are a few things you probably want to know about it. Don’t worry, because we’ve put together a quick yet comprehensive list of things about The Gray Man that you won’t want to miss.
The Gray Man Cast Includes Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling And Ana De Armas
The Gray Man cast is anchored by Ryan Gosling, who will be portraying on-the-run CIA operative Court Gentry, Chris Evans as Lloyd Hansen, and Ana De Armas as Dani Miranda. The Netflix spy thriller’s three top stars will be joined by an impressive collection of decorated actors and some of the biggest up-and-coming stars in Hollywood, including Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, Jessica Henwick, Wagner Moura, Dhanush Kasthuriraja, and several others.
The Movie Will Follow A CIA Agent On The Run, And His Former Colleague Who’s Tasked With Tracking Him Down
By the sounds of the movie’s official log-line, The Gray Man will be a spy thriller for the ages. When former CIA Agent Court Gentry, a freelance assassin under the moniker the Gray Man, is accused of a crime he may not have committed, he is forced to go on the run and avoid capture by one of his former colleagues, Lloyd Hansen. But, don’t expect Hansen to be anything like Captain America, as Chris Evans will be playing a more villainous role that director Joe Russo described as a really interesting character. We’ll have to wait and see if Evans’ tops his Knives Out character when The Gray Man lands on Netflix in the near future.
The Gray Man Is Written And Directed By The Creative Team Behind Avengers: Endgame
Over the years, Anthony and Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely have worked together on four of the most critically acclaimed and successful movies of all time with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Hopefully the creative force behind much of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will catch lightening in a bottle once more as all four are involved in The Gray Man in some capacity.
When Netflix shared more information on the movie in March 2021, it was revealed that while Joe Russo wrote The Gray Man script, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely came in to polish the screenplay. The Russo Brothers shared directing duties on the exciting upcoming project, which will be their first since Cherry was released in February 2021.
The Gray Man Is An Adaptation Of Mark Greaney’s 2009 Novel Of The Same Name
The script that Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely worked on is an adaptation of Mark Greaney’s 2009 debut thriller novel The Gray Man. The novel centered on Court Gentry as he traveled across Europe in hopes of rescuing his handler from Lloyd Hansen, who is hellbent on eliminating the former CIA operative once and for all. The novel would go on to be the first entry in a series of books about Court Gentry, a.k.a. the Gray Man, with more additions to the franchise on the way.
Following the initial release of The Gray Man in 2009, Mark Greaney went on to collaborate with Tom Clancy on multiple novels prior to the author’s death in October 2013. Greaney has continued to write novels based on Clancy’s most iconic character — Jack Ryan — throughout the course of the past few years.
The Movie Has Been In The Works For A Decade, With Everyone From Brad Pitt To Charlize Theron In Talks To Star
There have been numerous attempts to adapt The Gray Man over the years, with the first going all the way back to January 2011 when We Own the Night and Ad Astra director James Gray announced plans to turn Mark Greaney’s debut novel into a feature-length film with a script being worked on by Adam Cozad, who was writing the story that would become Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit at the time. Half a year later, in August 2011, it was revealed that Brad Pitt was interested in taking on the lead role in the film. Two years later, however, Pitt departed the project and the future of The Gray Man was left in limbo.
Charlize Theron was attached to star in The Gray Man in October 2015, just a few months after Mad Max: Fury Road became a massive hit at the box office. There was talk of changes being made to the script with the biggest being the main character being rewritten as a female lead. Those plans eventually fell apart, and the project sat dormant for several years before the Netflix acquisition.
The Russo Brothers Wrapped Production On The Gray Man In July 2021 Following A Four-Month Shoot
In late July 2021, the Russo Brothers took to Instagram to announce that principal photography on The Gray Man had officially wrapped, bringing an end to a four-month shoot. Cameras officially started rolling on March 16, 2021, with the production taking place everywhere from California to locations throughout Europe, including the Czech Republic and France. The shoot was initially supposed to kick off in January 2021, but the start date was postponed a couple of months due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases being reported in California at the time.
With A Budget Exceeding $200 Million, The Gray Man Is Netflix’s Most Expensive Movie To Date
In July 2020, Deadline revealed that The Gray Man will be the most expensive production coming from Netflix, with a budget exceeding $200 million. While this seems like a lot of money (it is), it makes sense when you consider the star power of the film’s cast, the directors leading the project, and the scope and scale of the production, which is believed to be the first entry in a potential new spy thriller franchise.
There is a lot we don’t yet know about The Gray Man, including its release date, but there are still plenty of exciting 2021 movies coming to theaters and streaming services in the meantime.
