Streaming provider Netflix is known for its numerous in-house productions. One film clearly stands out from the mass of projects announced for this summer simply because of the budget: “The Gray Man”. What should you know about the most expensive Netflix movie of all time?
Netflix, blockbusters, stars, lots of budget – so far this formula has paid off for the streaming giant. If you look at the most successful in-house productions in the film sector on the platform to date, these include “The Irishman” and “Don’t Look Up”. The highest-grossing film to date, Red Notice, cost $150 million and starred the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds.
Netflix is now hoping for a similar success from “The Gray Man”. The film is said to have cost a whopping $200 million. In the leading role we see none other than Golden Globe winner Ryan Gosling (including “La La Land”, “Gangster Squad”).
Netflix had to accept a decline in the number of subscribers for the first time in 2022 and then announced that it would focus on quality instead of mass in the future. “The Gray Man” could already be the first step in this new strategy, although of course the film was almost finished before the change of direction. TECHBOOK has compiled all the information about the potential new Netflix hit.
When is The Gray Man due to start on Netflix?
After a long time it was only known that “The Gray Man” should start in the summer of 2022, the final start date was from the end of April. The action film can be streamed worldwide from July 22, 2022. There was already a first glimpse in the general Netflix film preview of the year and in the trailer. Both promise lots of action. Incidentally, it is the first real action film for leading actor Ryan Gosling. The film star even had a “real Gray Man”, a former member of the Delta Force, at his side for the physically demanding filming.
Big names on the cast list
Ryan Gosling can already be seen prominently on the first film posters and was set to play the leading role early on. The Canadian actor brings a lot of experience in the action area. Besides Gosling, there are also many other famous faces in the film:
- Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry (“Sierra Six”), a mercenary on the run
- Chris Evans as Lloyd Hansen, psychopathic ex-CIA agent
- Ana de Armas as Dani Miranda, CIA agent
- Regé-Jean Page as Denny Carmichael, criminal
- Billy Bob Thronton as Donald Fitzroy
- Jessica Henwick as Suzanne Brewer
- Alfred Woodard as Maurice Cahill
- Robert Kazinsky as Perini
- Wagner Moura as Laszlo Sosa
- Dhanush as Avik San
- Julia Butters as Claire Fitzroy
Incidentally, the brothers Joe and Anthony Russo are behind the camera. The duo previously worked successfully with Netflix on Tyler Rake: Extraction. And also one of the most bombastic movies in the whole film history: “Avengers: Endgame” goes to the account of the Russo brothers.
The plot of “The Gray Man”
The action film is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. Court Gentry (Gosling) is a former agent and hitman, now he works as a mercenary for the CIA. When he comes across information that puts a heavy burden on the secret service itself, he becomes a target. From then on, his rival Lloyd Hansen (Evans) does everything in his power to take him out of circulation and a hunt around the world takes its course.
There were already plans for a film adaptation in the 2010s. At that time Brad Pitt was supposed to play the leading role. A second attempt by Sony with a female lead, played by Charlize Theron, also failed. Now Netflix has spent a lot of money to finally film “The Gray Man”.
The most expensive Netflix movie of all time
As already mentioned, the new Netflix blockbuster cost a lot of money: the streaming service put 200 million US dollars on the table for the action spectacle. It remains to be seen whether this investment will pay off. However, the conditions seem to be quite favourable.
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By the way, the novel is part of a book series. A total of 11 volumes already exist. While Netflix hasn’t commented yet, and much depends on the film’s immediate success, The Gray Man could well be a spy action series of its own.