Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans are joining forces for an epic spy thriller

For any fans feeling like Ryan Gosling or Chris Evans haven’t received enough screen time lately, well, let’s just say you’re in luck. The handsome stars have just signed on to a major Hollywood action-thriller project titled The Gray Man, where they will duel it out, C.I.A. style — and there might even be potential for a franchise. The upcoming project is based on the series of best sellers from Mark Greaney, and will leverage the talents of the writers and directors that brought us Avengers: Endgame. In fact, The Gray Man represents the first film Joe & Anthony Russo will direct since setting the all-time global box office record with Endgame. Not to mention, Joe Russo directed and wrote Extraction starring Chris Hemsworth, which became the most watched Netflix original movie of all time. Safe to say they’ve set the bar pretty high.

I’ve read all the Gray Man books and have been howling about this franchise to every producer I’ve met with over the last decade. Excited to see it happening. Sure would have loved a bite at the apple. This will be huge.

— Mike Maples (@JubelGantry) July 17, 2020

The story follows Court Gentry, an ex-C.I.A. operative played by Gosling who, following his exit from the intelligence agency, became a freelance assassin. Evans, on the other hand, will play his former colleague turned nemesis, Lloyd Hansen, who hunts him across the globe. Based on the books, Court (also known as 'The Gray Man') is a legend in the covert realm, but must battle lethal forces who believe he has "outlived his usefulness" (A.K.A. Chris Evans). Honestly, they had us at Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling. But please, tell us more.Although timelines and international shoot locations have yet to be finalized, they are reportedly planning to begin filming in January. Apparently, the project initially went into development years ago as a Brad Pitt/James Gray project, but has since found new life (and a new casting) with Netflix, the Russo brothers and their new content company AGBO.

Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in a movie together and it's being directed by the Russo Brothers... Damn. ? pic.twitter.com/KR6Cni8vBr

— ? Keleé (@kelee_issel) July 17, 2020

In an interview with Deadline, the Russo brothers shed some light on what viewers should expect, noting that the film will likely strike a chord with fans of Captain America: Winter Soldier, due to its similar real-world setting. “The movie is a real mano a mano between those two great actors who represent two different versions of the C.I.A., in what it can be, and what it can do,” said Anthony Russo. Joe Russo also chimed in, explaining that the intention of the project is for it to be competitive with any theatrical blockbuster. “The ability to do with with Gosling and Evans is a dream for us. The idea is to create a franchise and build out a whole universe, with Ryan at the center of it,” said Joe. “We have all committed to the first movie, and that’s got to be great to get us to the second movie. These are master assassins, and Gosling’s characters gets burned by the C.I.A. and Evans’ character has to hunt him down.”Also worth mentioning is the fact that the film will be Netflix’s most financially ambitious project to date, with a reported budget of $200 million and change. Big risk, big reward?