The guys behind The Avengers are making a Gray Man cinematic universe
By Dan Selcke
Last week, Netflix released The Gray Man, a spy thriller based on the novel of the same name by Mark Greaney; there are about to be 12 novels in this series, so there’s plenty of source material for more. Reviews were middling at best, but the film connected with viewers, who made The Gray Man the number one Netflix movie in 92 countries. Netflix is pleased as can be with these numbers and has already ordered both a sequel and a spinoff, according to Deadline.
The Gray Man directors Joe and Anthony Russo will return to direct the sequel, where Ryan Gosling will once again play the title role. As for the spinoff, Joe says it’ll be “a little more edgy and experimental.” What does that mean? “It means that one will be a hard R. Can’t say more at this point.”
Cinematic universes are all the rage right now, so it’s no surprise to see Netflix pounce on a success like The Gray Man, which at a budget of $200 million is the most expensive film they’ve ever produced. The streamer has been open about its desire to find its own Star Wars and Harry Potter-esque franchise, series that will broadly appeal to lots of people. That’s doubly important for Netflix as we keep getting reports of layoffs and falling subscriber numbers.
If you want to make a cinematic universe, you call the guys behind Marvel’s biggest hits
And if you want to make a cinematic universe, you can’t do much better than the Russo brothers, who lest we forget are the guys who directed both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, which remain the pinnacle of interconnected cinematic storytelling. “We love massive commercial storytelling, and the longform storytelling ideal of multiple access points to a narrative,” Anthony said. “We wanted to continue that, keep working in this unique form that we all have enjoyed so much and that has done so well.”
The next question is: Will a successful sequel and spinoff reverse Netflix’s fortunes and get the company growing again, or will the subscriber decline continue no matter what the company does, since pretty much everyone who wants Netflix now has it? That’s a question for the next shareholder’s meeting. For now, The Gray Man team can celebrate.
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