The Russo Brothers have proven themselves to be more than just competent filmmakers. The creative duo is a master of action sequences, and they’re bringing that talent to The Gray Man, an original Netflix movie set for a limited theatrical debut on July 15 and a streaming launch on July 22.
Getting to work with Chris Evans again for this action thriller must have been a ton of fun, but it seems the project has also given them a sense of creative freedom that they hadn’t experienced before. That revelation comes in spite of working on four high-grossing and acclaimed MCU movies in the form of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and the last two Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame, which still retain spots in the top 5 highest-grossing movies of all time.
At least, that’s what the filmmakers implied in a recent chat with Collider. Who knew making movies for Netflix had nothing to do with the “algorithm” and everything to do with the creative vision of its producers?
“They’re the easiest studio to work with that we’ve ever worked with. They give you more room than any studio we’ve ever worked with. We got a lot of room, but they are very ive of your vision, what it is you want to do with the movie, and they completely stay out of your hair. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and it’s a very comfortable experience as an artist. They don’t bring the algorithm to the creative.”
Further explaining what they mean by the algorithm, here’s what the filmmakers had to say.
“The algorithm doesn’t say, ‘Here’s the kind of movies you should make.’ The algorithm says, ‘Here’s the kind of movie we should offer audiences based upon what they’re looking for.’ You know what I’m saying? It’s more of a programming tool that they use. It doesn’t really have anything to do with how… Maybe it has something to do with what movies they green light, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the content of the movie, at least in our experience.”
Given the company’s track record, it’s safe to say that Netflix projects have had their fair share of run-ins with the sinister and confining algorithm. If that has somehow excluded the Russos due to their cinematic achievements, then that’s all the better for The Gray Man and what it’ll bring to the inundated action genre.
Published: Jul 7, 2022 01:56 pm