Dhanush may get his own The Gray Man spinoff, say directors Russo Brothers: ‘We wrote the character keeping him in mind’

Russo Brothers, directors of The Gray Man, have said that Dhanush--who has a cameo in the film--may soon get a spin-off film with him in the lead.

On Tuesday, the trailer of Russo Brothers' big-budget action film The Gray Man was released. The Netflix original stars Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling in the lead role apart from a big ensemble cast. For the Indian fans, the big draw, however, is the Hollywood debut of Dhanush. The actor plays a small but pivotal role in the film. Hours after the trailer’s release, the director duo spoke to fans on Twitter Spaces and hinted that a spin-off with Dhanush in the lead may be on the cards.

Dhanush in a still from The Gray Man trailer.

Talking about Dhanush on the Twitter Spaces chat, Joe and Anthony Russo said, “We are big fans of him. We wrote the character keeping him in mind. You can expect a new film starring his character in the lead soon.” The two directors--known for their blockbusters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe--also gave some details about Dhanush’s role in The Gray Man. “He plays one of the top assassins of the world and has two major fight blocks in the film. Dhanush has a great camera presence and we loved seeing him perform,” they said.

Previously, the Russos have spoken about wanting to build a cinematic universe around The Gray Man, along the lines of the MCU. A prequel film based on Chris Evans’ character has already been announced and speculations are rife that if The Gray Man is successful, multiple spin-offs may be announced. Going by the Russos’ recent statement, one of them could have Dhanush in lead.

The Gray Man is based on a 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. It follows CIA mercenary Court Gentry aka Sierra Six (Ryan) being hunted by his psychopathic former colleague Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) and several international assassins. The film also features Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Wagner Moura, Rege-Jean Page, Alfre Woodard, and Billy Bob Thornton.

After a limited theatrical release on July 15, The Gray Man will begin streaming on Netflix from July 22. With a reported budget of $200 million, it is said to be the most expensive Netflix film to date.