A film adaptation of the novel by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man, has waited patiently in the background to be produced ever since 2011. That year, it was announced that the project would be steered by director James Gray, known for Little Odessa and The Lost City of Z. At that time, Brad Pitt had been cast to star, but three years later the project lost its footing and disappeared. In a discussion with Mark Randall of the DeSoto Times-Tribune, author Mark Greaney says that it has been 13years since he optioned the book for the story to materialize on film, but “even if it was 26 or 39 years, [he considers himself] very lucky.”
After James Gray and Brad Pitt cut ties with the project, the Russo Brothers began work on the screenplay that involved a gender swap with Charlize Theron as the protagonist. The project lost attention once again until 2020, when the Russo Brothers and Netflix finally committed to the idea.
The Gray Man stars Ryan Gosling as Sierra Six, a CIA mercenary who by chance discovers some of the agency’s deep, dark secrets and as a result must go on the run to avoid capture. He is tirelessly hunted by his ex-colleague, Lloyd Hansen, played by Chris Evans, and a collection of ruthless assassins. So far, Mark Greaney seems pleased with this 2022 interpretation of his novel. Again, he told the DeSoto Times-Tribune that the movie is “pretty faithful to the novel” but has necessary contemporary changes. For example, Greaney’s version opens in Iraq, which was relevant at the time he wrote the story, but the Netflix adaptation opens in Thailand. Greaney isn’t bothered by these alterations and sees The Gray Man screenwriters as artistic collaborators on this project. Here’s a more in-depth look at the book that inspired the 2022 film The Gray Man.
The Inspiration For The Gray Man
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The first thing to note about Greaney as a writer is that he knows what he’s writing about. In an article by Commercial Appeal, Greaney explains that he travels to locations like China and Russia to get an “impression of the place, the people, the politics, and how their police work.” Sometimes his observational work is dangerous because locals will notice his interest in these systems. This doesn’t bother Greaney though, because the danger is a good inspiration for an action-thriller novel. In addition, Greaney has major experience in firearms, close combat, stunt driving, and battlefield medicine.
Although Greaney hasn’t revealed his direct inspiration for The Gray Man, it is clear that Greaney was inspired to write about his travels to some risky regions as well as his interest in military strategy. This comes through in The Gray Man because the book deals with its contemporary anxieties of 2009. In summary, the book follows CIA operative Court Gentry as he moves across Europe to rescue his handler and friend, Donald Fitzroy, from the enemy, Lloyd, who is a former CIA agent and current member of a French organization. Lloyd is hell-bent on destroying Gentry, because Gentry’s termination means Lloyd gains a billion-dollar deal connected to oil in Nigeria.
Sounds different from the film, right? Let’s briefly explore some changes the Netflix movie made to Greaney’s original story The Gray Man.
The Gray Man Book Vs. The Film
So, we know that the opening scene was changed to accommodate more modern concerns, but what else was edited? It seems that there were some changes to try to help the likeability of Gentry aka Sierra Six’s character and perhaps make it easier for the audience to understand him.
For example, in the book Sierra Six is imprisoned because he killed three people, and in the film, he is jailed for killing his abusive father. In the 2022 movie, it feels more as though Sierra Six is a hero who has been wronged and will be wronged again by his former colleague, Lloyd. As mentioned previously, Lloyd hunts Sierra Six in the book so that he can make a personal profit, not because Sierra stumbled on secret information. Sierra Six’s mission is, in addition, entirely different but probably to elevate the urgency and personal feeling of the narrative.
These are thoughtful changes all in the interest of getting closer to Sierra Six’s point of view. Netflix is also setting the characters up to create a franchise and continue to expand the story. In his conversation with Commercial Appeal, author Mark Greaney reiterated that he was “extraordinarily satisfied” with the project and felt that although different, it captured the “heart and soul” of his original story. The Gray Man has so far gained enthusiastic audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes, while critic reviews are more mixed. The critics' consensus is that the movie doesn’t involve any original touches but is still entertaining for its great action sequences and Chris Evans having a lot of fun with his character. The Gray Man is currently available for streaming on Netflix.