Netflix is stepping into what could be its largest scale original film to date. The streamer has acquired Red Notice, a globetrotting action heist thriller that stars Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot & Ryan Reynolds.
The film is being helmed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and it was originally set to go at Universal Pictures. Johnson and Gadot were attached to the project back when Universal acquired the project as a pitch early on during an aggressive bidding war last year. Netflix happened to be the runner-up during that process.
Thurber drafted up a script with a proposed budget and the filmmaker could feel hesitation by Universal once it became obvious how much money would need to be spent on the project. Thurber’s finished script was then shown to Netflix 10 days ago and the streamer committed to everything the filmmakers delivered. The deal was complex, but Universal and Netflix worked everything out over the holiday break.
When first sold as a pitch, Red Notice was one of the biggest film packages brokered last year, including a $20 million salary for Johnson and an eight-figure deal for Thurber, who directed Johnson in Central Intelligence and Skyscraper. The addition of Gadot, and later Reynolds, was no small challenge for Netflix since they work out deals differently with talent in comparison to the studios. Instead of breakeven gross against upfront salaries dished out by studios in success, Netflix pays upfront salaries and buys out the backend. All in all, Netflix has committed to arguably its biggest star-package feature film to date, with a production budget in the $130 million range.
Netflix sees franchise appeal in Red Notice which is why they made the financial commitment for the film. The project is an international action thriller centered around the pursuit of the most wanted art thief in the world. It takes place in multiple countries. The three leads have also cleared their schedule to get going on this film promptly which also got the deal done in a timely manner.
A 2020 production start date has been scheduled for Red Notice.
