At the moment, 2021's release date calendar is looking pretty... uncertain. As we're in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, it's hard to know when we'll be seeing a new crop of blockbusters on the silver screen again. But even if we don't get many blockbusters at our local cineplexes, Netflix plans to release more than a few major movies throughout this atypical year. And we can watch all of them safely from the comfort of our homes!
One of the year's biggest releases is Red Notice, the new action-comedy blockbuster from writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Central Intelligence) starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. The upcoming mega-movie had an extended, extremely troubled production schedule throughout 2020, but it's expected to be completed and ready to screen later this year. While details remain limited about this new streamable blockbuster, we do know at least a few things about this exciting title and what we can expect from it. Here's what we know about Netflix's Red Notice.
Red Notice's Release Date Hasn't Been Set Yet, But It’s Expected To Be Released Later In 2021
As Netflix's splashy, star-studded 2021 movie announcement video noted, Red Notice is one of the streaming service's most high-profile releases this year. That said, the rollout date for this upcoming blockbuster hasn't been officially announced at this time.
With the movie currently in post-production following a lengthy production, Red Notice will need to go through extensive editing before it's ready to be screened to a global audience. Thus, it (probably) won't be finished until later this year at this earliest, which means that a summer movie season release date might be unlikely — if not impossible. A summer 2021 release would be ideal, but a fall 2021 debut seems like the safest bet. Nothing is official yet, though. Whenever it's ready to premiere, we'll keep you posted.
Dwayne Johnson’s Character Is An FBI Profiler
But what is the plot of Red Notice? In this new Netflix movie, Dwayne Johnson plays an FBI profiler who's considered the world's greatest tracker. He's on the hunt for a pair of thieves who have caused nothing but trouble throughout their derring-do adventures. But when this FBI profiler and this pair of criminals cross paths, they'll ultimately need to work together for their own mutual benefits. That's not too far off from what you'd expect from the Hobbs & Shaw star, but we should also expect the high-profile actor to bring his charismatic mix of humor, heart, and action to this anticipated blockbuster.
Ryan Reynolds And Gal Gadot Play The World's Greatest Con Man And Art Thief, Respectively
While Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is at the forefront of this streaming action-comedy vehicle, the actor/producer has a couple of familiar faces joining him for the ride. Specifically, Red Notice also stars Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds as the world's greatest art thief and con man, respectively. They're the criminals who tag team with Johnson's top-notch profiler whenever an Interpol-issued Red Notice finds their paths interloped.
Particularly with Gal Gadot coming off Wonder Woman 1984, Red Notice is definitely a high-profile project for the rising star, while it serves as another notable blockbuster for our two established A-list headliners, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Ryan Reynolds.
There’s At Least One ‘Insane Chase Sequence,’ According To Dwayne Johnson
When you film a humongous movie with one of the biggest action stars on the planet, you can expect a lot of cinematic carnage to ensue. Sure enough, while we don't know what the plot entails for this action-packed movie (besides a vague synopsis), we know that we can expect at least one "insane chase sequence," according to actor/producer Dwayne Johnson.
As he humorously admitted on his social media feed, Dwayne Johnson was filming an exhilarating car chase scene for his new movie, though he was giving the crew trouble since he was too big to fit in some of the Porches secured for the scene. During this Instagram update, The Rock continued to hype up this enticing scene as being one of the kookiest chases he's ever been involved with, which is saying something. The superstar loves to get fans excited for his big-budget movies, and this is definitely one way to drive interest — no pun intended — towards his latest cinematic action barrage.
The Budget Is Estimated To Be Nearly $200 Million, Making Red Notice One Of Netflix’s Biggest Blockbusters Yet
In recent years, Netflix has been working its way into the blockbuster game. They're currently the biggest streaming service in the world, with millions of users to their name, which means that the company has to find new and expensive ways to make their content stand out against their competitors. Some of their biggest blockbusters include The Irishman, Extraction, The Old Guard, Triple Frontier, Project Power, Spenser Confidential, and 6 Underground, which also stars Ryan Reynolds. Now, they've got Red Notice, which will be a major undertaking for the world-famous streaming service.
Specifically, the action-friendly blockbuster is estimated to cost upwards of $200 million, which would easily make it one of their most expensive original projects yet. Certainly, Netflix has a lot riding on Red Notice being a big hit for their worldwide brand.
Considering that Red Notice is a globe-spanning action blockbuster with tons of action and explosions galore, you'd expect the budget to be high. But one reason why the streaming exclusive will be so expensive, via Variety, is that our three A-list stars, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds, were reportedly paid at least $20 million each.
That number adds up, thus explaining over a quarter of Red Notice's very high budget. Whether these inflated paychecks is what we should expect from future Netflix blockbusters moving forward will be determined after the movie's high-profile release.
Red Notice Is The Third Collaboration Between Dwayne Johnson And Writer/Director Rawson Marshall Thurber
Previously best known for being at the helm of 2004's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and 2013's We're the Millers, Rawson Marshall Thurber has forged a growing collaborative history with actor/producer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. First calling the shots on the A-lister's buddy action-comedy Central Intelligence, Thurber quickly reunited with Johnson for 2018's action-thriller, Skyscraper. Now, they've joined forces again for Netflix's Red Notice, a globe-trotting blockbuster that finds Thurber writing and directing another action-comedy vehicle for his dependable muscle-bounded muse.
Production Took Place Throughout 2020 Due To Several COVID-19 Related Delays
Like many movies shot in 2020, Red Notice faced a tumultuous production through an unprecedented and unpredictable year. Filming began in the final weeks of January, and it continued throughout the early months of the year before production was shut down in mid-March. At that point, the cast and crew were left twiddling their thumbs until they could begin working again. Filming began again in earnest in September, where it stopped and started its way to the finish line, which finally came in mid-November.
The extensive shooting process for Red Notice was an undoubtedly long, drawn-out process, and it found the cast and crew trying to figure out how they could navigate uncertain waters during an uneasy time in history. Ultimately, Dwayne Johnson claimed he took pointers from the NBA to figure out how to properly bubble the cast and select crew needed to finish the film as safely and securely as possible. Despite several setbacks, the movie finally wrapped this fall.
Are you looking forward to seeing Netflix's Red Notice? Let us know in the comments!
