Lift director F. Gary Gray on the heist film: “Working with Kevin is like getting paid to hang out…”

In the upcoming heist film Lift, The Italian Job director F. Gary Gray assembles a crew that includes Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen and more. The film follows ambitious thieves who set out to pull off a high-stakes heist. 

Opening up about working with Kevin Hart, Gray recalled his initial sit-down ahead of the film’s making. He revealed, “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.”

He added, “When you’ve got a great partner like Kevin, there’s no limit to what you can do.”

Talking about the heist genre, 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.”

Lift which also features Yun Jee Kim, Jean Reno and Sam Worthington releases on January 12, 2024.