Why You Can Trust CNET Netflix taps Russo brothers for big-budget thriller starring Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling
The streaming giant is reportedly budgeting $200 million for the movie.
Netflix has signed the Russo brothers to work on spy thriller The Gray Man in 2021.
Looking to score a blockbuster hit, Netflix has signed Joe and Antony Russo to direct a film version of the book series The Gray Man, about a former CIA operative. The movie, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, is set to go into product in January, according to Deadline. Netflix is reportedly budgeting $200 million for the film, with the hopes that the pricey original will launch a spy thriller franchise for the streaming giant.
This will be the next project between Netflix and the Russo brothers, who currently have the most-watched Netflix original with Extraction, starring Chris Hemsworth. Joe Russo is already set to work on the sequel to Extraction. The Russo brothers also directed the Avengers: Endgame blockbuster in 2019.
For the new thriller, Joe Russo told Deadline: "The intention is for it to be competitive with any theatrical, and the ability to do that with Gosling and Evans is a dream for us. The idea is to create a franchise and build out a whole universe, with Ryan at the center of it."
So far, the Gray Man series includes five books written by Mark Greaney.
Netflix on Thursday announced its second-quarter earnings, reporting that it added 10.09 million subscribers in the fiscal quarter. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
