Netflix has taken a few risks in the past year or two with big budget action films. Most recently you had the Will Smith-starring Bright, which had a budget of $90 million. But because of Netflix’s secret stats, we have no idea if they made their money back or not.
But ‘Bright’ is going to seem like an indie flick compared to Red Notice.
The action heist thriller starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds was just picked up by the streaming giant after Universal stumbled on their handling of the film.
After Thurber drafted his pitch into a screenplay with a budget, the filmmakers sensed hesitation from Universal in a meeting late last month, even though the studio had dated the picture for November 13, 2020.
The original pitch deal had specific progress to production timeline clauses and when a window opened, Thurber’s finished script was shown to Netflix 10 days ago. Led by Head of Film Scott Stuber, Netflix committed to everything the filmmakers delivered, and gets a big picture on its slate that is anchored by three global franchise-carrying stars.
When Red Notice was sold via pitch last year, a $20 million salary was guaranteed for Johnson. No word on how much Gadot and Reynolds will make, but it’s safe to say this will likely be Netflix’s most expensive movie ever. The budget is expected to be over $130 million.
The film is an international action thriller centered around the pursuit of the most wanted art thief in the world. It takes place in multiple countries.
Netflix believes this movie will turn into a franchise, which is why they’re going all in.
And for $130 million, they better hope it’s popular enough to warrant a sequel. Red Notice will begin filming in 2020.
