Sierra Six (played by Ryan Gosling) will soon be back in yet another global mission as the streaming giant Netflix has greenlit an entire franchise based on the record-breaking success ofThe Gray Man. The film — one of themost expensive Netflix original moviesever made — debuted at number one in 93 countries within the first week of its streaming release, ultimately clocking in a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 91%.
Helmed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of the second-highest-grossing film globally with their superhero ensemble filmAvengers: Endgame,The Gray Mantraces the spy, thriller, and action narrative, quiteanalogous to James Bond, by puttingCaptain Americaactor Chris Evans (playing Lloyd Hansen) in the antagonist’s skin. It follows Sierra Six, a top CIA undercover agent, and Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) getting chased by another sadistic spy contractor, Hansen, who will go to any lengths to retrieve a drive harboring dirty secrets of the CIA.
Stephen McFeeley and Christopher Marcus (the writers of several MCU films, includingAvengers: EndgameandCaptain America: Civil War) penned the script, which was predominantly based on Mark Greaney’s best-selling novel of the same name. Greaney readers will know that Six belongs to a spy-versus-spy universe that is quite vast, and the streaming platform, too, has much skin in the game, naturally ensuringThe Gray Man’s tales will not perish anytime soon.
Even the Russo brothers, beforeThe Gray Manhit the screens, cleared the air about their plans for the franchise beyond the first iteration. In an interview withEmpire, director Joe Russo remarked, “We never want to jinx it. But we are already thinking through where it goes from here. We like to build out worlds, and we would rather gamble on the upside and put the energy and time in to build out that universe prior to the release so that the ideas are more germane and organic. That’s how you build out a more complex mosaic narrative.” It is evident that the directors will not stop anytime soon until they have exhaustively explored the world of the formidable spy. Here’s what is in store forThe Gray Manfranchise.
The Gray Man Sequel
Mark Greaney’s literary universe for Sierra Six consists so far of eleven novels, with the twelfth installment hitting bookstores in 2023. The second entry from the novel seriesOn Targetputs the spy in yet another pickle as opposed to his previous missions, and, naturally, this one will be more daunting than ever. An old comrade who is a Russian arms dealer — Sidorenko, presumed dead by everyone — resurfaces, forcefully assigning a near-impossible mission to Six. However, the CIA has other plans for the Russian: they expect the Gray Man to turn him over.
It might appear that, after a quick read ofOn Target, fans of Sierra Six have decoded the plot. Of course, the catch is: the Russo brothers believe that novels and film are two different media and need not necessarily overlap their storytelling when translated to another. And that was exactly the case withThe Gray Man. Therefore, the plotline of the coming sequel is quite likely to pivot from the novels while still borrowing its elements from them. Other details about the entry are scant at the moment, but it is officially confirmed that McFeeley will continue penning the scripts.
Related:The Gray Man: A Look at the Novel That Inspired the Movie
The Gray Man Spin-Off
The sequels are not the end of the world of Sierra Six. In another development, steeringThe Gray Manfranchise toward an expanded universe, Netflix confirmed a spin-off movie that will serve as a prequel as well. Similarly to the sequel, the nitty-gritty of this project is under the wraps, and still at a nascent stage. It is only known so far that Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (writers ofDeadpool) will pen the scripts while the plotline will explore Hansen’s backstory. What’s more, the Russos, in an interview withDeadline, shared that the spin-off will be more on an edgier and experimental spectrum than the first film. That is all that has been currently spilled so far about the future ofThe Gray Manfranchise, but surely, with a sequel and a spin-off planned, there will be more to see in this world.
