The directors of the upcoming thriller movie The Gray Man, Joe and Anthony Russo, are no strangers to working with the star Chris Evans. Previously the duo helmed the Marvel movies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame, all with Evans starring as the shield-slinging Steve Rogers.
However, in a recent interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar), the directorial pair have revealed that Evan’s character in The Gray Man is the complete opposite to the all-American superhero we have come to associate him with. Based on the novel of the same name by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man tells the story of a CIA operative named Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling) who, after uncovering some dark secrets, is forced to go on the run as his former colleague Lloyd Hansen (Evans) and a group of international assassins try to hunt him down.
Evan’s new role proves to be wildly different to his gig in the MCU‘s four flicks that the Russo’s led. In fact, instead of fighting for his country, he is actively trying to endanger it.
“He came up with a masterful interpretation of [Cap],” Anthony explained. “But to see him do something almost polar-opposite… He did a play on Broadway called Lobby Hero, where he plays a real sonofabitch. And it was exciting to see that side of him.”
“Evans’s character is meant to be reflective of some extremist groups we have in America at the moment,” Joe continued. “So that was always the intent with the character, and Chris really ran with that.”
“This is Chris going nuts, and having a blast,” he adds. “Lloyd is a character that was written to chew up scenes, and for the audience to revel in his insane villainy.”
The Gray Man is set to hit the streaming service Netflix on July 15, 2022. While we wait to catch Evans’s new role, here is our guide to MCU Phase 4.