Red Notice: All We Know About The Netflix Movie

Here is everything we have found out about Red Notice, the new action film from Netflix.

By Rick Gonzales

Red Notice is the newest action-adventure blockbuster movie from the streaming giant Netflix. They released Michael Bay’s $150 million 6 Underground last year, and then ponied up $200 million for The Gray Man, a Russo Brothers espionage thriller that will see Avengers star Chris Evans team up with Ryan Gosling. Now, Netflix is bringing on board a trio of the biggest stars Hollywood has to offer at the moment for a new action-packed film.

RED NOTICE TRAILER

You can see the full Red Notice trailer with Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, and Dwayne Johnson below.

A SCENE FROM THE NETFLIX MOVIE

You can watch Gal Gadot take on Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds in an early fight scene released by Netflix. See the first scene from Red Notice below.

FIRST LOOK AT RED NOTICE

Netflix released their first look at their entire 2021 slate of films, and a big part of that was our first peek at Red Notice. You can watch the trailer above. It actually includes a lot of interesting stuff about the movie. It certainly looks like this is going to have all the polish, energy, and spectacle of a blockbuster movie. We don’t get a ton of story in this sneak peek, but it does assure us that Red Notice is swinging big.

WHAT IS RED NOTICE?

Red Notice follows the most wanted art thief in the world and the international pursuit of said thief. The movie will take place in several countries, globetrotting with the best of action films.

Not much else is known about the plot of Red Notice at this time. In terms of international crime, a red notice is what INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) issues as a worldwide request for law enforcement to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted criminal pending surrender, extradition, or similar legal action.

THE BIG THREE

The cast of Red Notice would consist of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. Johnson was the first to board as he was part of the team to develop the initial pitch for the movie. Gal Gadot signed on shortly after the project got its green light from Universal. Then, the movie’s producers were looking to add a third big name and Ryan Reynolds was their man.

This seems like a dream trio; a team that loves action, adventure, and snarky comedy. Just imagining the banter between Johnson and Reynolds makes the potential for this movie to go through the roof.

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST – A MAJOR CAMEO?

If the trio of Johnson, Gadot, and Reynolds was not enough to generate anticipation, word on the street is that Netflix and Red Notice is looking for one more HUGE star for just a cameo. That star would be Tom Cruise. The role they are looking at wouldn’t be huge – think Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder – but it could be a role that would require some expansion. This would be huge news if it comes to fruition.

PLUS ONE

Red Notice’s plus one would be director Rawson Marshall Thurber, who drafted the pitch that led to Universal eventually outbidding its competition. The numbers are staggering as Johnson was guaranteed a $20 million paycheck and Thurber got himself an eight-figure salary.

Perhaps the reason for the numbers was that Johnson and Thurber have previously worked together on the massively popular Central Intelligence and Skyscraper. But the deal that was brokered between Johnson, Thurber, and Universal was a complex one that included specific dates and progress worked into it. The filmmakers sensed a bit of hesitation by Universal and when a small window of opportunity opened up, Thurber took the script to number two.

WHEN COMING IN SECOND IS ACTUALLY BEST

The bidding war for Red Notice was ferocious. It was a pitch that every studio wanted, including Netflix. But their initial bid fell short of what Universal was offering, so second place is what they had to settle for.

For Netflix, their good news came when Universal hesitated. Thurber went to them, showed them the final script, discussed the budget and desire to bring in bigger stars, and a deal was made. Netflix is handing over $130 million to get the project rolling.

Bringing in Gadot and Reynolds was not an easy feat for Netflix. Typically, studios go with breakeven gross against upfront salaries, but Netflix pays upfront salaries while buying out the backend. This means their initial star power layout is a pretty big number.

But they are counting on the fact that Red Notice is going to deliver major global appeal, hopefully surpassing Netflix’s biggest hit, the Chris Hemsworth action film Extraction, which cost Netflix a mere $65 million to make.  Netflix is thinking this could be a franchise-maker.

After the deal was brought to Netflix and they signed off, Johnson, whose Seven Bucks Production will share a piece of the producing duties, had this comment to Deadline:

“With Red Notice, our goal at Seven Bucks Productions was to break down traditional barriers and create a true global event for the audience. Netflix has illustrated that they are the perfect partners to accomplish this goal. I admire the ambition of Netflix to become one of the biggest movie studios in the world. Their original content generates critical acclaim and invites full collaboration on every level of production. Their unbridled enthusiasm for Red Notice is equally matched by their commitment to entertaining audiences on an international scale.”

Johnson also added that director/writer Rawson Marshall Thurber has “delivered a dynamic script that me and my co-stars and partners-in-heist, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, can’t wait to shoot. The fun we’re gonna have making Red Notice, but more importantly — the fun the worldwide audience will have watching it in 190+ countries — all at the same moment.”

WHEN CAN YOU WATCH RED NOTICE?

The COVID-19 pandemic slowed this production down, but now we’ve got an official release date from The Rock himself.

Red Notice will release on Netflix on November 12, 2021.