Netflix announces its most expensive film yet

The streaming service is making a Ryan Gosling vs Chris Evans spy thriller

Netflix has just announced its most expensive film yet: a $200 million spy thriller called The Grey Man, according to The Verge. It will star Ryan Gosling, as the titular assassin and former spy who will be fighting against Chris Evans, the villainous CIA agent tasked with hunting him down.

The film will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, director of Avengers: Endgame, which, according to Deadline, is the most lucrative film ever made.

The Grey Man is based on Mark Greaney’s book series about Court Gentry alias, ‘The Grey Man’ who is an assassin, former CIA operative, and “a legend in the covert realm.” Netflix’s is hoping that the upcoming film will spawn a spy thriller franchise for the streaming site that will see Gosling return for future films as the Grey Man.

Sort of like its own version of the long-running James Bond franchise, which focuses on its own eponymous spy. Given that the series has 10 books (and counting), there should be plenty of material for Netflix to work with.

“The intention is for it to be competitive with any theatrical, and the ability to do with with Gosling and Evans is a dream for us. The idea is to create a franchise and build out a whole universe, with Ryan at the center of it. We have all committed to the first movie, and that’s got to be great to get us to the second movie,” the Deadline quoted John Russo as saying.

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