Directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo’s action movie, The Gray Man, is available on Netflix. If you want to know if The Gray Man is inspired by a true story, read on!
IS THE GRAY MAN INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY?
The Gray Man is not based on a true story, it is based on a series of books of the same name written by Mark Greaney. With several of the books to draw from, the film had plenty of characters and information at its disposal. Its central arc is based on the first book, but a lot has been changed in the adaptation.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BOOK AND THE MOVIE THE GRAY MAN?
The movie offers Six a somewhat different story. In the movie, he is sent to prison after killing his abusive father. In the books, however, they have a difficult relationship but there is no murder. Also in the first book, Lloyd Hansen is the person who pursues Six. However, his motivation is very different from that of Chris Evans’ character.
In fact, Hansen is not a ruthless private military contractor. He is a lawyer tasked with leading a team to track down Six, who is on the run after killing the brother of Nigeria’s president.
One of the film’s strengths is that it creates a hierarchy in which everyone works for someone. The «old man» who pulls Carmichael’s strings is left on the sidelines. In the book, it turns out that Carmichael works for the Saudi secret service. Whereas in the movie, the old man’s identity is kept secret.
Ana de Armas’ character, Dani Miranda, does not appear in the books. She is an original character created for the films because directors Anthony and Joe Russo wanted to address the fact that there were virtually no strong female characters in the books.
The film also reduces the role of Fitzroy’s family. Claire becomes a driving force for Six, who keeps coming back to save her from her enemies. The movie relies heavily on the bond between them to move the plot forward. However, in the book, Hansen holds the entire Fitzroy family captive in Normandy. Not only his niece, but also his wife and children need to be rescued by Six.