Way back in February last year we reported on a studio bidding "frenzy" for hot ticket Red Notice. Dwayne Johnson was already attached to re-team with his Skyscraper director Rawson Marshall Thurber, with Gal Gadot signing up the following June. Legendary, New Line, Paramount, Sony and Universal were all keen to snap the movie up, spurred by the surprise success of The Rock's Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. Universal won out, but a year is a long time in movies, and the surprise news this morning is that Red Notice is now heading to Netflix, with Johnson and Gadot now joined by Ryan Reynolds.
Red Notice's plot is largely being kept under lock and key, but some basics slipped out when the movie was first announced: it's an action-comedy set in the world of Interpol crime fighters, with the title referring to the most serious of categories for villains that the agency is tracking down. Johnson is an Interpol agent, with Gadot a mysterious and brilliant figure in the art world. Reynolds' role has yet to be revealed, but a Rock/Reynolds mismatched-Interpol buddies double-act seems like a possible thing.
Running contrary to recent reports that Netflix was rowing back on the big payouts after perceived recent disappointments like Triple Frontier, this is the streaming service's most expensive movie package to date by far. The budget – including whopping multi-million dollar deals for the three stars and Thurber – is currently estimated at $132m.
Johnson, however, considers it a bargain. "With Red Notice, our goal... was to break down traditional barriers and create a true global event for the audience," he said in a statement. "Netflix has illustrated that they are the perfect partners to accomplish this goal.... Their original content generates critical acclaim and invites full collaboration on every level of production... As the landscape of movies, distribution and audience consumption continues to evolve, our... focus is to continue to find the best platform and partners to thrive in this ever changing environment. Director/writer Rawson Thurber has delivered a dynamic script that me and my co-stars and partners-in-heist, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, can’t wait to shoot. The fun we’re gonna have... but more importantly, the fun the worldwide audience will have, watching it in 190+ countries, all at the same moment."
Shooting will take place next year. There's no release date so far.