There is a whole cinematic universe waiting to unfold in the world of The Gray Man. Never mind the disappointing critical reception to the Russo Brothers-helmed spy action thriller, the huge hype surrounding the film and exciting cast involved already make The Gray Man the movie to watch for many over the weekend. If Hollywood lovers can seek thrills in watching Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page engage in spy games, the Indian fans can look forward to see Tamil superstar Dhanush exchange pow-wows with Gosling and de Armas in the movie. The Gray Man Movie Review: Ryan Gosling-Chris Evans Land Clumsy Blows in Russo Bros’ Ordinary Spy Thriller; Dhanush’s Cameo Makes Very Late Impact.

While The Gray Man in itself is a disappointment - see our review for that - it still holds a few major threads that could expand the movie into a franchise. Just like Netflix tried to do with Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead and Gina Prince-Bythewood's The Old Guard. Whether those plans would come to fruition remains to be seen, but let's discuss how The Gray Man plans to expand itself into sequels and spinoffs. Needless to say, we will be discussing MAJOR SPOILERS with regards to the finale that reveals the fate of the characters so tread carefully ahead

Six on the Run

The Gray Man (2022). Ryan Gosling as Six. Cr. Paul Abell/Netflix © 2022)

In the finale, we learn that Six (Ryan Gosling) has escaped from the highly confined facility of the CIA and then, like the ending of Captain America: Civil War, rescues Claire (Julia Butters), the niece of Six's deceased former boss (Billy Bob Thornton) from another CIA stronghold, and they both go on the run. Needless to say, if there is a direct sequel to The Gray Man, it would have the CIA bosses Denny Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page) and Suzanne Brewer (Jessica Henwick) put more of their resources after them, considering Six is still knowledgeable Denny's nefarious activities, even if the pen drive holding his secrets is destroyed. The movie also needs to tackle how it would address Claire's medical condition, considering they will always be on the run.

The Secret Boss

Regé-Jean Page in The Gray Man (Photo Credit: Netflix)

Another thing The Gray Man refuses to reveal and the sequel needs to address is the identity of the secret boss for whom both Denny and Suzanne are working for, and who is heading CIA's covert unsavoury missions.

Watch the Trailer:

Dani Deserves a Spin-Off

Ana de Armas in The Gray Man (Photo Credit: Netflix)

With Denny and Suzanne putting the blame of all the mess completely on the dead Lloyd (Chris Evans) and Dani (Ana de Armas) backing them up in front of the committee, she is clear to be back in CIA. Even though she continues to be at loggerheads with Denny over 'personal space', The Gray Man sequel would put her in further dilemma in saving her colleagues or helping Six and Claire avoid capture. The Gray Man: Director Joe Russo Compares Netflix to A 'Tech Company', Says 'They're Hands-Off' During Production.

We also wanted to know more about her character and her background, and since Ana de Armas is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood right now, it won't be surprising if Netflix announces a spinoff on her character.

The Prequel of The Squabbling Trio

Chris Evans and Jessica Henwick in The Gray Man (Photo Credit: Empire)

Suzanne reveals to Six that she, Denny and Lloyd were college mates, and the boys' bromance was awfully irksome then. So we are wondering if there would be a prequel showing their college days, and how Denny and Suzanne joined CIA and rose up the ranks, while Lloyd went on to become a fearsome and cruel private contractor. Basically, this would give us another reason to see Chris Evans' rock that moustache again, even if his character is killed at the end of the movie. PS: We wonder how Denny will react when he learns it is Suzanne who killed Lloyd.

Avik San

Dhanush in The Gray Man (Photo Credit: Netflix)

Dhanush's cameo as the meditative, no-nonsense 'sexy Tamil friend' assassin is one of the highlights of The Gray Man, especially for us Indians. While the South superstar rocks in the two action scenes he is in, his character is under-explored. We know that he isn't a bad man like Lloyd is, and has principles when it comes to harming kids, but apart from that, nothing much. His name is not even mentioned in the film, and we are only privy to that info in the cast slate shown in the end-credits.

While Avik San survives the explosive finale, even though he is heavily scarred, we are eager to see him return to this universe, either in a sequel or in a spinoff focussing purely on his character. Russo Brothers, make that happen!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 22, 2022 03:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).