The Russo Brothers have found a new blockbuster to direct, with Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling starring, in the assassin thriller The Gray Man for Netflix. Anthony and Joe Russo have become some of the biggest filmmakers in Hollywood over the last few years thanks to their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After directing two Captain America solo movies, the Russos were hired to direct Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the latter of which became the highest-grossing movie of all-time.
In the year since Avengers: Endgame's release, the Russos have continued to build their careers beyond Marvel. They set up their own production company, AGBO, and have worked on a number of projects already. The Russos produced Chadwick Boseman's cop thriller 21 Bridges last year and did the same for Chris Hemsworth's Netflix action film Extraction this year. Joe also wrote the script for Extraction and is now working on developing Extraction 2. But, they both got back behind the camera to direct Tom Holland in Cherry, which might be released later this year.
Now, the Russo Brothers have found what appears to be their next directorial effort. According to Deadline, Netflix has agreed to fund a $200 million action/thriller the Russos will direct, titled The Gray Man. The movie will star Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling and is an adaptation of the 2009 Mark Greaney novel of the same name. Joe wrote the script for The Gray Man, but it was polished by Avengers: Endgame scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Production is expected to begin in January 2021.
The Russos have been eyeing an adaptation of The Gray Man since 2014 when the project was originally announced to be in development for Sony and could've starred Charlize Theron. Now, Gosling will play the lead role of Court Gentry, an assassin and former CIA operative, and Evans will be Lloyd Hansen, who worked with Gentry at the CIA. This will mark the first collaboration between Gosling and the Russos, while Evans will appear in his fifth film they've directed. The story will see Hansen hunt down Gentry in a globe-trotting adventure, which has the source material to launch a franchise.
Even though the Russos' first post-MCU movie has yet to be released, there is plenty of reason to be excited about their adaptation of The Gray Man. The CIA espionage story is reminiscent of what the Russos did with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which many would still argue is their best movie (even after the Avengers films). Meanwhile, the prospect of Evans and Gosling playing dueling killers and the chance for Gosling to get an action franchise on Netflix is enticing. Whether or not The Gray Man will be able to film early next year remains to be seen, but hopefully it won't be too long before the movie is streaming on Netflix.
Source: Deadline