Ryan Gosling & The Russo Brothers’ $200M Netflix Action Franchise Seemingly No Longer Happening

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It appears Netflix has lost yet another major film series, this one starring Ryan Gosling and directed by the Russo brothers.

The action thriller The Gray Man, inspired by Mark Greaney’s popular book series, stars Ryan Gosling as a highly skilled CIA operative forced on the run after uncovering evidence of corruption within the agency. The film also features a strong supporting cast, including Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, and Billy Bob Thornton.

I was chatting with Anthony Russo at the premiere of his new film, The Bluff, and I asked him about The Gray Man sequel plans. He told ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan that, unfortunately, there isn’t any firm news about moving forward with more Gray Man movies right now. But, he did mention that a lot of people are still brainstorming ideas, so it’s not completely off the table.

Before the first Gray Man movie even came out, Netflix and the directors, the Russos, were already planning a large-scale franchise. They announced a spin-off series focusing on a yet-to-be-named character, with the writers of Deadpool, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, attached to the project. A sequel, bringing back Ryan Gosling, Dhanush, and the Russos, was also confirmed following a strong opening weekend for the first film. The Russos had also mentioned the possibility of a spin-off centered around Dhanush’s character.

Despite initial enthusiasm for expanding The Gray Man into a large franchise, recent news suggests the series’ future is uncertain. In May 2024, reports surfaced that Ryan Gosling hadn’t begun discussions about returning for a sequel. While director Anthony Russo stated in March 2025 that there was still interest, finding a suitable time to film was proving difficult.

With The Gray Man, Netflix made a big move into creating large-scale, blockbuster films, especially aiming to start a successful action series. Besides the $200 million production of The Gray Man, they also released Red Notice with Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot—though any planned sequels are currently stalled—and a reboot of Spenser’s Confidential starring Mark Wahlberg, which also has a sequel stuck in development.

Additionally, The Gray Man continued a disappointing trend for the Russo brothers after their work on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Their previous film, Cherry, starring Tom Holland, didn’t impress critics, and both The Gray Man and their adaptation of The Electric State failed to make a significant impact. The Electric State actually received their lowest-ever score on Rotten Tomatoes, with only 14% of critics giving it a positive review. The Russo brothers are also behind the Citadel universe on Prime Video, which is currently facing uncertainty about its future.

Although it’s looking less likely with each announcement, there’s still a chance the Russo brothers could revive The Gray Man. They previously surprised fans by returning to Marvel after Avengers: Endgame to work on upcoming films like Doomsday and Secret Wars. Their success with the Extraction movies – particularly Joe Russo’s writing – and the start of a connected universe for that franchise, gives them hope that The Gray Man could also get sequels and spin-offs.

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2026-02-18 22:21