A behind-the-scenes video from the upcoming Gal Gadot action film Heart of Stone shows off a bunch of high-octane stunts from the Netflix project. Although the streaming platform has announced that they will be moving away from developing big-budget blockbuster films for their service, Heart of Stone was likely considered a sure deal following the success of Gadot's previous film Red Notice, in which she starred as a notorious international criminal squaring off against Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson. That film, which at the time was Netflix's most expensive production to date, is still Netflix's most-watched movie, just ahead of the Oscar-nominated Don't Look Up, with over 364 million hours watched in its first 28 days.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
This new project for Gadot sees her teaming with 50 Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan and RRR actress Alia Bhatt. Directed by The Aeronauts' Tom Harper from a screenplay by The Old Guard's Greg Rucka and Hidden Figures' Allison Schroeder, the film will follow a group of spies similar to that in the Mission: Impossible franchise. In addition to the three main stars, Heart of Stone's cast includes Matthias Schweighöfer, Jing Lusi, Paul Ready, Jon Kortajarena, Matteo Cicconi, Angela Esposito, and Sophie Okonedo, who recently shared the screen with Gadot in Death on the Nile.
Today at their global fan event TUDUM, Netflix shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Heart of Stone. The package begins with an ominous clip from the film, featuring dramatic shots with a voiceover describing how what this team of spies does is too important for them to form human attachments of their own. The video then proceeds to footage of various wild stunts, both completed scenes, and behind-the-scenes clips, from the film, which Gadot describes as epic, grounded, and raw. Check out the video below:
Can Heart of Stone Compete with Gal Gadot's Red Notice?
From this first glimpse at Heart of Stone, it seems like Netflix is combining two tried-and-true blockbuster methods here. They are taking the trio of big stars that made Red Notice such a success, and applying it to a storyline that feels somewhat similar to their 2022 hit The Gray Man, starring Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling. The stars around Gadot this time aren't quite as globally A-list as Johnson and Reynolds were in Red Notice. However, they are still huge names, with Bhatt in particular being a solid draw internationally considering her Bollywood stardom in films including the global sensation RRR and the recent fantasy franchise-opener Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva, which took #2 in the domestic box office in its opening weekend, an unusual feat for an Indian film.
It remains to be seen if Heart of Stone is able to compete at the level of both the huge films it's emulating. It seems more likely that it will be able to reach as many viewers as The Gray Man rather than taking off like Red Notice, which admittedly came at a time when fewer people were visiting theaters and there was less competition for new at-home viewing options. However, considering the fact that that film is still #4 on Netflix's all-time Top 10, that's not a bad height to reach.