The Gray Man Sequel and Spinoff in Development at Netflix, Ryan Gosling Returning

By Liam Crowley

The Gray Man universe is expanding. Following the Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans-led film's arrival on Netflix this past Friday, which debuted to #1 on the streaming service's in-house chart, Netflix is making plans for the film to be just the first piece of a "major spy franchise." The Gray Man will receive a direct sequel with leading man Gosling, directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and co-writer Stephen McFeely all set to return. Producing talent on board include the Russos, Mike Larocca, Joe Roth, and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum. Beyond the sophomore installment, Netflix is also developing a spinoff film that is "set to explore a different element of The Gray Man universe." This untitled spinoff will be scribed by Deadpool writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.

While The Gray Man currently sits at a 48% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, its audience score is nearly double that at 91%. The Russos showed their appreciation of the fan response, and teased that they'll be revealing more about the sequel's script shortly.

"The audience reaction to The Gray Man has been nothing short of phenomenal," Joe and Anthony Russo said. "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."

Even with blockbusters on streaming becoming the norm these days, The Gray Man still stood apart from other colossal Netflix originals like Bright, The Irishman, and Army of the Dead with its record budget of $200 million. The investment appears to have paid off, as Netflix Head of Global Film Scott Stuber said The Gray Man is just the latest of multiple future partnerships between the streaming giant and AGBO, the Russos' independent film studio.

"With The Gray Man, the Russos delivered an edge-of-your-seat spectacle that audiences around the world are loving," Stuber said. "We're excited to continue to partner with them and the team at AGBO as they build out The Gray Man universe."

AGBO and Netflix have previously paired for Extraction (2020) and Cherry (2021). A sequel to the former has already completed filming, with Chris Hemsworth returning in the lead role.

Even before the sequel and spinoff were confirmed, the Russos stated that their adaptation of Mark Greaney's best-selling novel was made with aspirations of exploring the larger world around it.

"This is being conceived as a series of films, and again, potentially branching out, we could follow other characters," Joe Russo said at a CCXP event in 2020. "So you're gonna finish the movie, [and] have a complete story, but you're still gonna have questions about the wider universe. And I think that's one way to break the model a little bit, is to not give the audience everything in one film."

The Gray Man is currently streaming on Netflix.

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