What looked like a viral moment for Netflix this week was actually a case of mistaken identity. On October 31, streamer IShowSpeed walked past a small film set in New York. The clip was quickly posted with a caption claiming he had crashed the set of The Gray Man 2, starring Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas. It collected more than a million views before the weekend was over.
There was one problem: Netflix is not shooting a Gray Man sequel, and the production on the sidewalk had nothing to do with the streamer.
The rumor vs the actual set
The footage, first circulated by aggregator account FearBuck, showed a modest crew on a residential street. There was no Netflix signage, no recognizable cast, and no sign of a $200 million spy thriller. Several entertainment sites repeated the claim without checking production records. Netflix does have a New York shoot of its own—The Roman has been filming in the city—but it is not a Gray Man sequel.
According to listings tracked by What’s on Netflix, the shoot is almost certainly Great Men, a low-budget independent comedy that has been filming in New York since October 19. It is produced through Lyrical Media, written and directed by Arlen Konopaki and Alex Black, and produced by Delaney Buffett and Marie Nikolova. The official logline—about two estranged thirty-somethings chasing the past—is a long way from the Gray Man universe.
The original Gray Man production spanned Prague, Los Angeles, France, Thailand and Croatia with hundreds of crew. That scale is not easy to stumble across on a Brooklyn street.
Where The Gray Man 2 actually stands
Netflix announced the sequel and a spin-off on July 26, 2022, four days after the first film opened at number one in 92 countries. Four years later, the project has no momentum.
- April 2023: The Russo brothers said the script was roughly halfway done and based on Mark Greaney’s second novel, On Target.
- April 2024: Joe Russo said the team was “developing concepts” while managing around fourteen projects.
- March 2025: Anthony Russo said there was “still interest,” with scheduling the main obstacle.
- February 2026: Anthony Russo told ScreenRant there was “no momentum news right now.”
The directors have since been busy with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars; Gosling has been tied to Project Hail Mary and Star Wars: Starfighter. Sources told What’s on Netflix that both Gray Man projects are inactive at the streamer. The sequel was greenlit under a previous film regime, and after leadership changes, the appetite for another $200 million bet on a film with a 46% critics score appears limited.
What it means for media teams
The episode is a useful reminder for entertainment marketers and planners: a franchise name can turn a small shoot into a viral story, but reach is not the same as confirmed demand. Before amplifying set footage, check the production listing and the source of the caption. The same rigor that applies to ratings and subscriber numbers applies to film-set rumors.
Source: What’s on Netflix
