Spy movies never go out of fashion, and every year there’s bound to be at least one movie about the intrigue and drama of espionage. After the massive success of James Bond’s No Time To Die, it’s evident the audience can’t get enough of secret agents and their wild missions.
Looking ahead, there are plenty of upcoming thrillers about spies to keep fans entertained. From action adventures to historical fiction to returning favorites, this is the best time to get into the spy genre if you haven’t yet.
‘The Gray Man’
CIA mercenary Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling) uncovers incriminating secrets about the agency, which forces him to go on a run. He is hunted by his former colleague, Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), an amoral assassin who will stop at nothing to get him.
The Gray Man is said to be Netflix’s most expensive original movie, with a reported budget of $200 million. It’s directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, the brothers who also directed four of Marvel’s biggest movies, including Avengers: Endgame. The thriller is set for a theatrical release on July 15, followed by a Netflix premiere on July 22.
‘Bullet Train’
On a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, five assassins discover that their missions are connected. One of them is the killer Ladybug (Brad Pitt), who wants to leave his job but is recalled by his handler Maria Beetle (Sandra Bullock). He is tasked to collect a briefcase, but he doesn’t know how much danger he is in.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Kōtarō Isaka, Bullet Train also stars Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, and Hiroyuki Sanada. Production for the action-comedy began in 2020, and after several delays, the movie is finally set for release on August 5.
‘Hunt’
Set in South Korea in the 1980s, Hunt is about a mission to uncover a North Korean spy believed to be embedded in the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. After confidential information is leaked, two KCIA units are assigned to investigate each other, leading to shocking revelations.
Hunt is the directorial debut of Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae and stars himself as Foreign Unit chief Park Pyong-ho, along with Jung Woo-sung as Domestic Unit chief Kim Jung-do. The movie premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and reportedly received a seven-minute standing ovation. It is set for release this summer.
‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’
Super spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) must stop the sale of a new weapons technology by arms broker Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant). He reluctantly recruits movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) to help him on his mission.
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is the fifth partnership between Statham and director Guy Ritchie after their successful collaboration in movies like Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. The spy comedy’s release date has been pushed back several times, but it’s slated to premiere this year.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One’
Ethan Hunt is back with a new explosive adventure in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. The highly successful franchise starring Tom Cruise is one of the most popular series in the spy genre, and each time the action gets bigger and better. Though the plot is not revealed yet, the teaser trailer shows plenty of death-defying stunts, including Hunt jumping off a cliff while on a motorcycle.
The movie will feature returning characters played by Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, and Simon Pegg, as well as new faces, including Hayley Atwell and Esai Morales. It’s scheduled for a theater release summer of next year.
‘The Black Kaiser’
Duncan Vizla, (Mads Mikkelsen) a.k.a. The Black Kaiser, is an assassin who uncovers a conspiracy to protect a syndicate of killers. He then becomes their number one target. The character first appeared in the 2019 action movie Polar, which was adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Victor Santos.
The Black Kaiser will also be based on the same comic, though whether it’s related to Polar remains to be seen. Polar was a Netflix hit that was seen by over 130 million subscribers, so hopes are high for the new movie. It will be directed by the same director, Jonas Akerlund, and released on Netflix.
‘Heart of Stone’
Heart of Stone is intended to kick off a spy franchise like Mission: Impossible but with a female lead. It stars Gal Gadot as Rachel Stone, an intelligence operative. Netflix won a highly competitive auction for the movie with hopes that it will be able to replicate the success of its 2021 spy thriller, Red Notice, which also featured Gadot in a lead role.
The movie’s ensemble cast includes Jamie Dornan, Sophie Okonedo, and Matthias Schweighöfer. The plot is kept under wraps, but production started in March. Directed by Tom Harper (The Aeronauts,Wild Rose), the thriller is expected to be released next year.
‘Argylle’
The man behind the successful Kingsman movies, Matthew Vaughn, is back with another superspy movie. In his latest movie Argylle, an amnesiac spy is tricked into believing he’s a novelist. But after his memories return, he decides to take revenge against the Division, the organization he used to work for.
Argylle is based on an upcoming novel by Ellie Conway and features a star-studded cast that includes Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Pop star Dua Lipa will make her acting debut in the movie and produce the theme song. Though there’s no release date set yet, the movie is scheduled for release on Apple TV+.
