Netflix is trying to launch Kevin Hart as an action hero in their new big-budget heist movie, Lift, co-starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Who’s the next big action hero? Well, if Netflix has anything to do with it, it’ll be Kevin Hart, with them dropping the trailer for the comedian’s upcoming movie, Lift. A heist film in the vein of Fast & Furious, in it Hart plays the leader of a high-tech gang of crooks hired by the government to steal $500 million in gold that’s being used to fund a terror cell. What’s the catch? The gold is on a passenger plane, and the gang needs to steal it mid-flight.
While this sounds like it would be easy peasy for the Fast & Furious gang, Hart’s crew is a little less badass. It includes Billy Magnussen and Úrsula Corberó, who, it should be noted, isn’t new to stealing cash following a few seasons on Netflix’s Money Heist.
While Hart may not seem like the typical guy to lead an action flick, let’s not forget that his series, Die Hart, was all about his training to get his action bonafides. Between this and Borderlands, Hart is trying to branch out into more action-heavy fare. The movie looks pretty fun, with it boasting slick production values and tons of action. The director, F. Gary Gray, directed F8 of the Furious, so clearly knows the genre. The movie co-stars Vincent D’Onofrio and Jean Reno, but the film is also a significant action vehicle for the drop-dead gorgeous Gugu Mbatha-Raw, an actress who richly deserves a big showcase like this.
Netflix has been holding on to Lift for a while, with it originally planned as a summer blockbuster. But, without Hart around to sell the movie due to the strike, it was pushed to this January, which is a smart time to launch an action flick. That said, it launches the same weekend as Jason Statham’s The Beekeeper, which seems to be going for the same crowd.
Either way, I will give Hart a shot as an action star. Let us know in the comments if you feel the same!