Gary Gray on Lift: I love this genre because it lets me unleash my imagination

Ahead of the release of Kevin Hart's film Lift, director Gary Grey spoke about his love towards directing heist-like movies and his experience working with the seasoned actor. The upcoming film will premiere on Netflix on January 12, 2024.

Talking about his affinity towards directing heist movies, Gray said, “I love this genre because it lets me unleash my imagination with cutting-edge technology, draw inspiration from diverse global cultures and experiences, and keeps my love for learning new things fired up. I also love the opportunity to assemble a great ensemble cast, and working with tools that make me feel like a big kid in a futuristic toy store adds an extra layer of excitement to the process.”

It was during the first meeting with Kevin Hart that shaped the course of Lift. During the sit-down, the actor expressed excitement to transition from comedic roles to grounded action characters. Sharing his experience of working with him, Gary said, "Working with Kevin is like getting paid to hang out with your favourite cousin who has your back. We’re all about the thrill of taking on challenges together and enjoying every step of the journey. When you've got a great partner like Kevin, there’s no limit to what you can do."

The official logline of the film read, "An international heist crew, led by Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart), race to lift $500 million in gold from a passenger plane at 40,000 feet."

Lift, headlined by Kevin Hart, also stars Úrsula Corberó, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno and Sam Worthington in prominent roles.

Written by Dan Kunka, Lift is produced by Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Pictures, Matt Reeves and Adam Kassan for 6th & Idaho, and Hart and Brian Smiley for HartBeat Productions.