‘The Gray Man’ directors explain how they wrangled such a star-studded cast

As the premiere of Netflix most expensive film ever approaches, the Russo brothers share how they successfully cast so many big stars in one project.

The MCU veterans co-wrote, directed, and produced The Gray Man with a massive $200 million budget, and were able to cast Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page, Alfre Woodard, and Billy Bob Thornton.

In the press notes for the film, Anthony Russo explained how crucial casting is to the process of bringing complex narratives to life.

“Casting is critical in any project. We wanted it grounded in psychological realism. As heightened as the characters are, you want actors that are going to bring some truthfulness to it. We couldn’t be more fortunate to work with the cast that we got on this one, and it’s important because it’s a dense world filled with a lot of unique characters. We needed a cast at this level to pull off the vision for the world we were creating.”

Joe Russo also emphasized the importance of casting in fleshing out nuanced and dynamic characters.

“It is just an incredible cast. It was our intention to create a world for the audience to immerse themselves in. Each character has a level of detail and thought and back story to them. My brother and I love complicated villains. We love villains that are heroes in their own stories. We like heroes that are morally gray and complex and everyone has competing interests, and those interests are what make the characters. It’s really about a battle of wills. We have an amazing cast that really filled out the world in a way that feels three dimensional, thoughtful, alive, dramatic. And any of these characters could take you on a story or take you on a journey to a different part of this world.”

Gosling plays Court Gentry, also known as Sierra Six, a man who has the dubious distinction of being the CIA’s most masterful soldier of fortune. When Gentry stumbles upon compromising information about the agency, he becomes public enemy number one.

An internal conflict erupts among black ops mercenaries as Gentry finds himself in the crosshairs of psychopathic operative Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) and countless other assassins.

The Gray Man will be released in cinemas on July 15, and will begin streaming on Netflix one week later.