Netflix’s ‘The Gray Man’ is getting a sequel and a spin-off

It’s only been a few days since started streaming The Gray Man, but the company has already to turn it into a major franchise. A sequel is in the works with star Ryan Gosling and directors Joe and Anthony Russo returning. Netflix did not say when the follow-up is expected to arrive.

A spin-off from Zombieland and Deadpool screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese are in development too. Netflix says that the movie will explore a different aspect of The Gray Man universe, but it’s keeping quiet on the details for now.

While critics by and large had a lukewarm reaction to The Gray Man, the film appears to be a hit with viewers. It has a 91 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It debuted as the number one movie on Netflix in 92 countries when it was released last Friday. Netflix has not revealed more specific viewership data as yet.

Whether that apparent success translates into helping Netflix retain subscribers and attract new ones remains to be seen. The company lost almost a million subscribers last quarter, although the attrition wasn’t as bad as Netflix afraid.

Netflix spent a reported $200 million to make The Gray Man. So, along with moves the company is making elsewhere, it’s not a huge shock that Netflix is ​​turning it into a franchise. Sequels to other Netflix blockbusters are in the pipeline, including follow-ups to and . Netflix also to the terrific murder mystery film Knives Out.

In case it’s not clear, Netflix is ​​very eager to build beloved franchises of its own. “We want to have our version of Star Wars or our version of Harry Potter, and we’re working very hard to build that,” the company’s vice president of original series Matthew Thunell last week.

Netflix does have a few hit franchises already. A Stranger Things spin-off series and stage play . The company has made a Korean version of La Casa de Papel and is working on a spin-off. It’s expanding , Bridgerton and beyond the core shows as well.