While we await an official trailer, Empire Magazine has shared a brand new look at the Russo Brothers' highly-anticipated action-thriller The Gray Man, which will star Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049; The Nice Guys) in the title role as Courtland Gentry and Chris Evans (Captain America: Civil War; Avengers: Endgame) as the gleefully sadistic Lloyd Hansen.
Describing what attracted him to the role, the 2x Academy Award-nominated Gosling explains,
“What I liked about this character is that he wants something that most of us want, which is just to be free. His goals aren’t monetary, it’s not about treasure, it’s not revenge. He just wants to have the right to sit on the couch and watch Netflix like the rest of us.”
While every sneak peek we've gotten thus far has teased the most relentless of actioners, Gosling hints that his character will still find the humor in his increasingly dangerous predicaments. “In almost every scene we tried to set it up so that he was at a disadvantage, and it becomes about watching him use whatever is in his environment to gain leverage. And what he uses most consistently is a sense of humor. It’s a survival tool. If he can find what’s funny about the absurdity of the situation, he can distance himself from the danger of it.”
In addition to Gosling and Evans, the supporting cast features Golden Globe-nominee Ana de Armas (Knives Out; No Time to Die), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix 4; Iron Fist), Wagner Moura (Narcos; Sergio), Julia Butters (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; American Housewife), South Indian superstar Dhanush (Raanjhanaa; Vada Chennai), Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton; Dungeons & Dragons), Academy Award-nominee Alfre Woodard (Luke Cage; Captain America: Civil War), and Academy Award-winner Billy Bob Thornton (Monster's Ball; Fargo).
The Gray Man hits theaters on July 15, and will start streaming exclusively on Netflix on July 22