‘The Gray Man’: Chris Evans-Led Prequel Penned By ‘Deadpool’ Writers & Sequel In Development

While some of Netflix‘s original blockbusters are hit-and-miss, the streaming service is banking on The Russo Brothers delivering them a huge franchise-starter. After giving Marvel Studios their biggest box office earners with “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” racking up a combined $4.8 billion globally, the Russos had enough clout and financial interest to start their own studio AGBO and Netflix has been one of their key distribution partners (see the “Extraction” franchise). The Russo’s new film, the spy action pic “The Gray Man” boasts a $200 million-plus budget with stars Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, and British heartthrob Regé-Jean Page from “Bridgerton.”

And it looks like Netflix is extremely happy with what they’ve seen as they’re already developing two more projects as revealed in the latest issue of Empire Magazine (via @evanscontent).

READ MORE: Noah Hawley To Direct Netflix Heist Film Starring Regé-Jean Page With The Russo Brothers Producing

Ahead of the film’s release this summer, “Deadpool” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are reportedly working on a Lloyd Hansen prequel with a direct sequel being penned by Stephen McFeely.

Evans plays the villainous Hansen and sounds like this would give him his own splinter franchise.

This development is impressive given that the streamer is reportedly trying to cut back on overspending on original content and we also still don’t know how the critics/audience will react to “The Gray Man.” Regardless, this certainly gives the impression that Netflix is keen to keep going.

“An elite cloak-and-dagger CIA operative (Gosling) who’s so ghostlike, even his real name is unknown. When he accidentally uncovers hidden agency secrets, he finds himself tangled in an international conspiracy, as an unhinged former colleague (Evans) puts a bounty on his head.“

The rest of “The Gray” cast consists of Jessica Henwick (“The Matrix Resurrections,” “Iron Fist“), Wagner Moura (“Narcos“), Billy Bob Thornton (“Fargo“), Alfre Woodard (“Luke Cage“), Callan Mulvey (“Batman v Superman“), Robert Kazinsky (“Pacific Rim“), Scott Haze (“Venom“), Deobia Oparei (“Dredd“), Michael Gandolfini (“The Many Saints of Newark“), and Julia Butters (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood“).

“The Gray Man” will hit theaters in limited release on July 15 before dropping on July 222 on Netflix. We have to assume a trailer is just around the corner as the promotion has already started. In the interim, Empire has also released a new image which you can see below.