James Gray has been set to direct The Gray Man, New Regency’s adaptation of Mark Greaney‘s thriller novel. New Regency Pictures has hired Adam Cozad (the upcoming Jack Ryan franchise reboot) to adapt the novel into script. Production Company Shine Limited (“Merlin”) is producing this project.
Court Gentry is known as The Gray Man—a legend in the stealthy realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible, and then fading away. Now, he is going to prove that for him, there’s no gray area between killing for a living—and killing to stay alive.
Although this specific type of film isn’t something that Gray isn’t too familiar with, that’s not stopping him from making his own efficient approach to it and making sure this action thriller doesn’t merge itself into the background with the others.
Almost every shot was from Joaquin‘s point of view, inside that car, and I want to make a whole movie with that point of view. What he did was a documentary-style objective approach, and he owns that style. I want to do the opposite, which feels like a good way to sympathize with a professional hitman. You humanize him by never distancing yourself from his experience. This story has emotional stakes that enable me to do that.”
This will be Gray’s first real venture into action, and while this seems like another Jason Bourne franchise imitation, the director says he has a detailed plan to distinguish it from the flourishing Universal series. Gray elaborates,
What (Paul Greengrass) did was a documentary-style objective approach, and he owns that style. I want to do the opposite, which feels like a good way to sympathize with a professional hitman. You humanize him by never distancing yourself from his experience. This story has emotional stakes that enable me to do that.”
That makes me think of whether or not he’ll bring back Joaquin Phoenix, who has starred in three of Gray’s four, films so far.
