Ryan Gosling Set to Return for The Gray Man Sequel as Netflix Also Announces Spin-Off
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Netflix Ryan Gosling as the Gray Man
The Gray Man universe is expanding.
Netflix announced Tuesday that the recently released spy thriller, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, is getting both a sequel (with star Ryan Gosling returning) and a spin-off.
The sequel is set to be written by Stephen McFeely, who also co-wrote the first movie, while the spin-off will be penned by Deadpool and Zombieland writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.
"The audience reaction to The Gray Man has been nothing short of phenomenal," the Russo brothers said in a press release. "We are so appreciative of the enthusiasm that fans across the world have had for this film."
They added, "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."
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Paul Abell/Netflix Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man (2022)
A synopsis for the first film reads, "The Gray Man is CIA operative Court Gentry (Gosling, 41), aka Sierra Six. Plucked from a federal penitentiary and recruited by his handler, Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), Gentry was once a highly-skilled, Agency-sanctioned merchant of death."
"But now the tables have turned and Six is the target, hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former cohort at the CIA, who will stop at nothing to take him out. Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) has his back. He'll need it."
The movie, which played in select theaters starting July 15 before hitting Netflix this past Friday, debuted at No. 1 in 92 countries, according to Netflix.
"With The Gray Man, the Russos delivered an edge-of-your-seat spectacle that audiences around the world are loving," Global Film head Scott Stuber said in a statement. "We're excited to continue to partner with them and the team at AGBO as they build out The Gray Man universe."
The first film — which is adapted from Mark Greaney's book series, reportedly had a budget upward of $200 million and was previously announced as the first project in a new franchise revolving around Gosling's character — is described by the Russo brothers as a "fight to death," Entertainment Weekly previously reported.
"It's hard to find somebody at Chris Evans' level to step into a villain," Joe, 51, told EW. "It's why you traditionally don't get a Ryan Gosling versus Chris Evans movie."
"But he's at a point where [playing the villain] is more entertaining to him than playing a hero, so we're able to get two giant movie stars that face off against each other," Joe added.
The Gray Man, also starring Regé-Jean Page, is now streaming on Netflix.
