The first trailer for The Gray Man has been released by Netflix – and it looks as if Netflix has got another potentially huge hit movie on its hands.
Released on May 24, the teaser gives us our first look at the Russo brothers-directed spy thriller, which stars major heavyweights in Blade Runner 2049's Ryan Gosling and former Marvel movie star Chris Evans as sparring spies caught up in an elaborate game of cat and mouse.
Check out the Netflix movie's official trailer below:
Are you excited? You should be. The trailer is only two minutes long, but it's absolutely packed with top-tier action, explosions galore, and a theme tune (and likely soundtrack) that you'll be humming for days and weeks after the films is released. And who doesn't want to see Gosling and Evans go toe to toe in psychological and action-based capacities?
For those unfamiliar with the project, The Gray Man is based on Mark Greaney's book series of the same name. The film stars Gosling as CIA agent Court Gentry – aka Sierra Six, a highly-skilled, Agency-sanctioned operative who had religiously followed the orders of former handler Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton).
When the tables are turned on Gentry, though, he must stay one step ahead of former CIA cohort Lloyd Hansen (Evans), who hunts Sierra Six in a globe-trotting adventure that's sure to test the allegiances of everyone involved. The only individual Gentry can seemingly trust is CIA agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas), and he'll need all of the help he can get to evade the clutches of Hansen.
THE GRAY MANdirected by Anthony and Joe Russo 💥starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Julia Butters, Dhanush with Alfre Woodard and Billy Bob Thorton 💥 pic.twitter.com/ziXnt0sfqfMay 24, 2022
Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page, 12 Years A Slave's Alfre Woodard, and The Matrix Resurrections' Jessica Henwick are among The Gray Man's all-star cast. Joe Russo (Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame) has penned the script alongside fellow Marvel alumni Christopher Markus and Stepehen McFeely, while Joe joins brother Anthony in directing the highly anticipated Netflix flick. We're sure to get a better glimpse at the film during Netflix Geeked Week, too, which begins on June 6 and runs through to June 10.
The Gray Man will launch on Netflix on July 22, though it'll also be available in select theaters a week earlier on July 15.
Analysis: The Gray Man, but maybe not-so-gray times
It won't come as a surprise to say there's an ominous cloud currently hanging over Netflix. The streaming giant's issues are well documented at this point, with Netflix cancelling numerous TV shows and firing hundreds of employees amid its ongoing financial and subscriber-based woes. Some of that is self-inflicted, mind you, given that Netflix is looking to crack down on password sharing. But the streamer is looking to win back approval among audiences by introducing an cheaper, ad-based subscription, and even looking into at the prospect of live streaming its content to stop haemorrhaging subscribers.
Despite all of these problems, though, Netflix is still far and away the most popular streamer on the planet. Sure, the likes of Disney Plus and HBO Max are closing the gap but, for now at least, Netflix can still boast the fact that it has the biggest subscriber base.
The streaming company, then, still needs to provide quality content for its 220 million-strong global audience. With Stranger Things season 4 part 1 set to arrive imminently, and a sizable 2022 movie slate comprising keenly anticipated films like The Gray Man, then, Netflix could be about to turn a corner as we head into the summer (or winter, for those in the southern hemisphere) months.
So Netflix needs some big wins to get it back on track, and The Gray Man could help in that regard. While it wasn't critically well received in November 2021, a film like Red Notice – which starred some of the planet's biggest names in Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot – gave Netflix a huge advantage over its rivals. Red Notice became the most popular Netflix original movie of all-time, accumulating 364 million hours viewed in the space of 18 days despite receiving a mixed reception from critics. No film on Netflix's streaming rivals came close to matching that figure, with its success largely down to those who starred in it.
If The Gray Man can perform a similar feat, it may well be the biggest streaming movie of the summer (read: winter for those beneath the equator). Succeed in that endeavor, and Netflix may be able to breathe a temporary sigh of relief as it basks in the glow of another of its smash-hit original movies.
