Ryan Gosling is returning as Sierra Six, as Netflix officially announces The Gray Man 2 is happening. After working with Marvel Studios for several years and making some of the biggest movies of all time, the Russo brothers turned their directing focus elsewhere. This eventually led to making their long-in-the-works adaptation of The Gray Man. The 2022 Netflix movie based on the novel by Mark Greaney stars Ryan Gosling as Sierra Six, a skilled assassin for the CIA who uncovers the dark truth about who he works for, turning the agency against him. The Gray Man includes Chris Evans' Lloyd Hansen hunting Six down, and Six's uneasy partnership with Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas).
Touted as Netflix's most expensive movie to date, there has been a lot of attention given to The Gray Man. Reviews for the Russo Brothers' latest movie have not been great, as the mixed 48% Critic Rating on Rotten Tomatoes indicates. However, their involvement and the star power of Gosling, Evans, and de Armas — as well as Netflix's large subscriber base — gave the movie a pathway to success. This was always the hope as The Gray Man's ending leaves room for sequels and spinoffs as long as Netflix was happy with how the movie performed.
It has now been confirmed that The Gray Man 2 is happening at Netflix. Ryan Gosling is confirmed to return as Sierra Six, while Anthony and Joe Russo will once again direct. The Gray Man 2's script will be written solely by Stephen McFeely. The Russos and AGBO’s Mike Larocca will produce along with Joe Roth and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum for Roth Kirschenbaum Films. Read statements from Joe and Anthony Russo — as well as Scott Stuber, Head of Global Films at Netflix — below:
Russos: The audience reaction to The Gray Man has been nothing short of phenomenal. We are so appreciative of the enthusiasm that fans across the world have had for this film. With so many amazing characters in the movie, we had always intended for the Gray Man to be part of an expanded universe, and we are thrilled that Netflix is announcing a sequel with Ryan, as well as a second script that we’re excited to talk about soon
Stuber: With The Gray Man, the Russos delivered an edge-of-your-seat spectacle that audiences around the world are loving. We're excited to continue to partner with them and the team at AGBO as they build out The Gray Man universe.
The announcement of The Gray Man 2 still leaves a lot of information unknown. The sequel does not yet have a release date or a window for when production will begin. There is also no word on if Chris Evans will return in The Gray Man 2 nor confirmation that other cast members like Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, and Julia Butters will be back. The Gray Man's ending certainly indicates that the latter four actors will be seen again as Sierra Six's story continues. The Gray Man 2 announcement also comes with news that a mystery The Gray Man spinoff movie is in development.
Netflix's confirmation of The Gray Man 2 should hardly come as a surprise, even with the film's mixed critical reception. The streaming service is looking to build multiple franchises, and The Gray Man was always likely to be one of them. It will be fascinating to see how the Russos potentially work to address the criticisms of the first film in the sequel, though. Overall, those who really enjoyed the movie will surely be elated to hear that more of Sierra Six is coming to pay off The Gray Man's sequel setup, while those left disappointed in the first film will have to hope The Gray Man 2 is even better.
Source: Netflix