Netflix has taken over the global heist film Red Notice from Universal Pictures and added Ryan Reynolds to its star-heavy lineup. The move puts Reynolds alongside Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot in a Netflix action thriller written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, with production planned for multiple locations (Red Notice Cast).
What changed with Red Notice?
Red Notice shifted from a traditional studio release at Universal to Netflix, giving the streamer another high-profile original film built around globally recognizable stars. The Netflix Red Notice Ryan Reynolds announcement also confirms that the project is being positioned less like a routine acquisition and more like a large-scale event movie for an international streaming audience.
The film centers on the pursuit of the world’s most wanted art thief, a premise that gives Netflix a broad action-comedy hook: globe-trotting locations, law-enforcement pressure, criminal rivalry, and star-driven banter. Netflix described the project as a “globetrotting action-thriller,” while its current listing frames the story around an FBI profiler forced into an uneasy partnership during the chase.
Ryan Reynolds joins a major Red Notice cast
The confirmed Red Notice cast brings together three actors with strong international audience pull. Johnson leads the project after previously working with Thurber on Central Intelligence and Skyscraper, Gadot adds franchise-level recognition from Wonder Woman, and Reynolds enters as another major name for viewers searching for a new Ryan Reynolds movie.
Key confirmed details include:
- Director and writer: Rawson Marshall Thurber, working from his original pitch.
- Main cast: Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds.
- Producers: Beau Flynn, Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Thurber.
- Executive producer: Scott Sheldon.
- Story focus: an international chase involving the world’s most wanted art thief.
- Production plan at announcement: principal photography in 2020 across various locations.
Why the Netflix move matters
For Netflix, acquiring Red Notice signaled a continued push into big-budget, star-led films designed to travel across markets at once. Johnson said the goal was to create a global event for audiences, while Netflix film chief Scott Stuber pointed to the appeal of bringing Johnson, Reynolds, and Gadot together for viewers around the world.
The Universal-to-Netflix shift also highlights how streaming platforms have become direct competitors for studio-scale entertainment. A project with this level of casting would once have been expected to rely primarily on theatrical distribution; instead, Red Notice became part of Netflix’s strategy to make original films feel like major pop-culture releases.
What viewers can expect next
Netflix’s official page now lists Red Notice as a 2021 PG-13 action title starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot, with Ritu Arya and Chris Diamantopoulos also included in the broader cast listing. The film is categorized by Netflix as action, comedy, adventure, con game, heist, and fast-paced entertainment.
For fans, the draw is straightforward: a high-concept chase movie built around three marquee stars. For Netflix, the acquisition reinforced its ambition to compete for large-scale film projects that can reach subscribers worldwide on release day.