Roll up, roll up! Who’s ready for a Hollywood A-lister royal rumble? The Russo Brothers – aka the directors behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, plus last year’s Cherry – have cooked up an almighty mano-a-mano for their next feature film. It’s called The Gray Man, adapted from the books by Mark Greaney, and it’s an action-packed spy thriller primarily revolving around a cat-and-mouse chase: Ryan Gosling’s CIA-endorsed hitman Sierra Six, running from Chris Evans’ malicious manhunter Lloyd Hansen. Check out the trailer:
This is reportedly Netflix’s most expensive movie yet, and it’s easy to see why – not just that insane star-power (Gosling and Evans are also joined by Bridgerton breakout Regé-Jean Page, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, The Matrix Resurrection’s Jessica Henwick, Alfre Woodard and more), but the explosive action set-pieces. There are shootouts and explosions aplenty, mid-flight tussles, runaway trams and more, promising to deliver summer blockbuster spectacle straight to your living room. And while it’s titled The Gray Man, the palette here looks surprisingly colourful – teasing a vibrant delve into a world of moral blacks, whites, and greys. Or, grays, for the Americans out there.
Most importantly, it seems Gosling and Evans are in their element here – Gosling getting to play relatable hero Six with a sarcastic edge, and Evans chewing the scenery as an unapologetic d-bag with a talent for non-sequiturs. (“You wanna make an omelette? You gotta kill some people,” looks set to go down as one of the year’s best dumb lines.) We’ll find out if the Russos and their leading man hit their mark when The Gray Man comes to cinemas from 15 July, followed by its Netflix streaming launch on 22 July.
And, in the meantime, you can pick up the latest issue ofEmpire – on sale now, and available to order online here – to read our world-exclusive deep-dive into the making of the movie, talking to Evans, Gosling, the Russos and more. The chase is on.