Netflix Announces “The Gray Man” Sequel and Spin-Off
By Kip Mooney• On • In NewsNewsComments Off on Netflix Announces “The Gray Man” Sequel and Spin-Off
After a massively successful debut on Netflix, spy movie The Gray Man will now be a franchise. Star Ryan Gosling and directors Joe & Anthony Russo will return for a sequel, alongside co-writer Stephen McFeely (Avengers: Endgame). This appears to be the latter's first film without writing partner Christopher Markus. He'll have plenty of source material to draw from as Mark Greaney's novel series will be up to a dozen entries by next year.
The film received mixed reviews, but went to No. 1 on Netflix in 92 countries. Though no financial details were included, The Gray Man reportedly cost $200 million, though some of that are higher-than-usual fees for the cast and crew, as there's no "back end" to speak of. The sequel could cost even more.
But that's not all! Netflix also announced a spin-off film, to be written by the reliable duo of Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool, Zombieland). No further details for that one were announced.
The Gray Man is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.