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The Gray Man is a Mix of James Bond & Bourne Style Spy Movies, Says Star
Regé-Jean Page says The Gray Man mixes James Bond and Bourne's styles in the new spy film. For years the spy thriller genre has been dominated by three huge franchises, James Bond, Bourne, and Mission: Impossible. While all three franchises continue to succeed with audiences today, that doesn't stop new films from attempting to find that same success in the genre. The Russo brothers, known best for their MCU films, hope to do so with their new spy film, The Gray Man.
Based on the novel series written by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man follows Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six, a top CIA agent, as assassins hunt him after he discovers dark secrets about the agency. Directed by the Russo brothers, The Gray Man stars Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry, Chris Evans as the psychopathic Lloyd Hansen, Ana de Armas as Dani Miranda, Jessica Henwick as Suzanne Brewer, and Page as Denny Carmichael. In supporting roles, the cast includes Wagner Moura, Julia Butters, Alfre Woodard, and Billy Bob Thornton. With the hopes of turning the film into a franchise, The Gray Man is Netflix's most expensive film to date.
Every big-budget spy thriller can expect to be compared to James Bond, Bourne, and Mission: Impossible at some point, and star Regé-Jean Page revealed how the Russo brothers' latest film holds up against the genre giants. In The Gray Man's official production notes (via We Got This Covered), Page described the new spy film's style as a mix of the James Bond and Bourne series. He also noted that the marriage of Bond's sophistication and Bourne's hyper-violence makes The Gray Man "something tastier all together." Read Page's full comment below:
Quote:
“There is no limit to the scope of this film. It’s a global travel adventure, but with spies, explosions, guns, falling out of airplanes—there’s nothing that isn’t in this movie. It has this ‘How is this dude still on his feet?’ factor and it has that suave suits and sophistication Bond factor. It has that hyper-real, hyper-violent Bourne factor. It just smushes it all in and makes something tastier all together thanks to the marriage of all those elements.”
Page's comments definitely build expectations for The Gray Man. While many fans of the Russo brothers probably expected Bourne-levels of violence in the new action-thriller after Extraction, James Bond's sense of sophistication seems more difficult for the directing team to imitate. More than just "suave suits," James Bond is known as the pinnacle of class, even while fighting. None of the Russos' films have seen that particular fighting style; instead, they often include chaotic brawls, like the final battle in Avengers: Endgame. Successfully meshing the two styles together would be an impressive feat.
It remains to be seen whether The Gray Man can live up to Page's comments. Netflix and the Russo brothers are undoubtedly hoping the spy thriller can match Extraction's success, but early reviews for The Gray Man have been mixed. Still, the general public may react more positively when the film is released. The Gray Man will have a limited theatrical release set for July 15 and will be available on Netflix on July 22.
