Netflix announced that it has a $200 million budget for a new film called Red Notice. The streaming company is going all out and did not skimp on talent they hired. Gal Gadot, famous for her roles in Wonder Woman and The Fast & Furious franchise, The Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson, also known for The Fast & Furious series and as The Scorpion King and Ryan Reynolds, famous for the X-Man Origins, Wolverine and The Green Lantern, will star. Formerly, Netflix paid $159 million for The Irishman with Robert de Niro and Ben Affleck.

The attractive trio of A-list actors will star in the 'FBI thriller-comedy.' Gadot, 36, is 'the world's most wanted art thief' and Reynolds, 44, is the greatest conman on the planet. They will be chased down by Johnson, 49, in the role of a top FBI profiler. The film will be produced by Johnson and is set for release on November 12. 

It's a great premise. One of the most successful television shows ever was Criminal Minds, that amassed high Nielsen ratings from 2005-2020. The show was based on the Behavioral Analysis Unit (B.A.U.) of the FBI. I was a fan and scripts were always well-researched and engaging. Highly skilled profilers tracked serials killers who relentlessly terrorized communities--showing no remorse for their evil activities. Watching the show was akin to viewing your worst nightmares come to life. 

Part of the success of Criminal Minds was a superb cast, led by Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, Thomas Gibson, Kirsten Vangsness, AJ Cook. Matthew Gray Gubler and others. 

Dwayne Johnson has it right on two levels. Headlining any film with Gadot, Reynolds and himself is a smart move and good investment. A-list talent typically guarantees an audience. And the script choice is highly viable. People love to watch crime shows. They tap into every human emotion and act as a catharsis--you get a minute-to-minute experience of being in a life threatening situation and escaping it. That can feel empowering; kind of like surviving a roller coaster ride. Crime shows highlight the underside of society and offer an adrenaline hit for fans that can be addictive. 

Red Notice will be directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who also wrote the script. Thurber also penned Skyscraper, a thriller that starred The Rock in 2018. The new film should not be confused with a book written by Bill Browder called Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice or SAS: Red Notice, a film written by Laurence Malkin based on Andy McNab's book Red Notice.

I cannot say why Johnson and his team did not come up with a different or more original title but I can predict the movie will be a huge hit. I would also bet that The Rock will produce a sequel following the likely success of this project. Filming is currently at Tyler Perry's Studios in Atlanta.