Netflix will turn its most expensive movie of all time into a franchise. On Tuesday, the streamer announced that The Gray Man will receive a sequel as well as a new spin-off movie. Joe and Anthony Russo will return to direct the sequel, which will once again star Ryan Gosling as the famous CIA agent with Stephen McFeely penning the script.
The Gray Man gets a sequel and a spin-off
As Netflix noted in a news release on Tuesday, The Gray Man premiered as the number one movie in 92 countries over the weekend. Reviews have been mixed, although the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is a solid 91% for the time being.
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Netflix is clearly satisfied with the early returns, as The Gray Man is still the top movie on the service at the time of writing. There have also been a number of recent reports claiming that Netflix wants to spend more time developing big franchises rather than introducing new IPs. A sequel to The Gray Man would certainly accomplish that goal.
Here’s what directors Joe and Anthony Russo had to say about the news on Tuesday:
The audience reaction to The Gray Man has been nothing short of phenomenal. 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.
As for the spin-off, Netflix is not willing to discuss the plot quite yet. What we do know is that Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool, Zombieland) will write the spin-off. Netflix says that their movie “is set to explore a different element of The Gray Man universe.”
AGBO and the Russos
Given this news, it’s obvious why the Russo brothers aren’t involved with Marvel’s next Avengers movies. That’s not to say that they would have been Marvel’s first choice, but they clearly have their hands full. In addition to directing The Gray Man 2, the Russos are also producing a sequel to Extraction. Netflix says that Extraction 2 is coming out in 2023.
Both The Gray Man and Extraction come from the Russos’ production company, AGBO. AGBO is currently working on more than a dozen TV shows and movies beyond the Netflix sequels. Joe and Anthony might not be directing each one, but all of these projects fall under their umbrella. So you can see why taking on a Marvel crossover movie might not be in the cards.
