Before Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt Nearly Headlined Netflix’s The Gray Man ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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Acclaimed Hollywood star Brad Pitt has starred in numerous action films, including Troy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Spy Game, and Bullet Train. However, even some diehard movie buffs may not know that the Oscar-winning actor was once in line to star in a spy action thriller that eventually became one of the biggest Netflix hits. Can you guess which film it is? Read on to find out.
The Netflix Hit Which Almost Starred Brad Pitt
We are talking about the 2022 film The Gray Man, which was directed by the Russo Brothers and featured Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in the lead roles. According to an earlier report by Variety, Brad Pitt was once in talks to headline a film adaptation of Mark Greaney’s debut thriller The Gray Man. At the time, the project was supposed to be directed by James Gray, who would later collaborate with Brad Pitt for the critically acclaimed 2019 sci-fi drama Ad Astra.
However, that version of The Gray Man did not move forward and remained in development limbo for several years until the Russo brothers came on board to direct the film, and Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans were attached to star. Ryan Gosling eventually played the role that Brad Pitt was once in talks for.
As per IndieWire the action thriller movie was released on Netflix on July 22, 2022, and reportedly logged a whopping 88.55 million hours viewed in its first three days. Made on a massive budget of $200 million, The Gray Man remains among the top ten most popular English-language movies of all time globally on Netflix.
The Gray Man – Plot & Cast
Based on Mark Greaney’s 2009 novel of the same name, the action thriller revolves around a highly skilled CIA operative, Sierra Six (Ryan Gosling). He becomes the target of a sadistic former colleague, Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), and deadly assassins after he uncovers dark agency secrets. The film is available to stream on Netflix. It also features Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Julia Butters, and Indian actor Dhanush in key supporting roles.
The Gray Man – Critical Response and Audience Ratings
The film holds a modest 45% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, but a much stronger 90% audience score. On IMDb, it has a user rating of 6.5/10.
