Free Guy is only the beginning. Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy are planning a long-term partnership together, and it features at least three movies we don’t even know about yet.
Ryan and I have already made a second movie together. And we’re already developing three other movies to make together,” Levy tells Esquire Middle East.
Free Guy, about a Non-Player Character named Guy (Reynolds) in a Fortnite-like online video game who slowly becomes self-aware, outperformed all expectations over the weekend, bringing in nearly $30 million in the US and opening at #1 in the UAE.
After Free Guy, the two already have another film in the can, a science fiction film entitled The Adam Project in which Ryan Reynolds stars as a man who must travel back in time to help his 13 year old self, which is headed to Netflix.
From there, who knows? But there have been rumors that Levy may take on Deadpool 3, something he does not deny to Esquire Middle East.
“I know you want to ask me about that. I know you do,” he says with a wry smile.
Free Guy itself, billed initially as a franchise starter, is now set to start its own franchise, with a sequel already in the world, Reynolds confirmed on social media.
For Levy, who previously helmed such films as the Night at the Museum series, Real Steel and many episodes of Stranger Things, Reynolds was a match made in heaven for the director, not only as his leading man but as a collaborator and producer.
If there’s anyone you should thank for bringing these two together, it’s Hugh Jackman, according to Levy.
“We had heard for years through our mutual friend, Hugh Jackman, that we would get along. And in fact, I remember him telling me somewhere right around Real Steel, he said, if you do ever do a movie with Ryan, you’re going to do 10 movies with Ryan, because you guys are just going to be like a brotherhood. And from our first meeting, that’s what it was like. We have a lot of respect for each other,” says Levy.
The two had a ton in common, he says.
“We’re both Canadians. So that probably helps. We both work our butts off. But we also both want to work and then go home to our families. We don’t want work to consume all of our existence. And we also don’t want work to be anguished or dark. We want it to be positive. And especially with Free Guy, we wanted a movie that would convey a certain sense of fun and delight and optimism to audiences.”
Reynolds is known to be a family man. He and actress Blake Lively have three kids together, with whom he loves to travel the world, including to the UAE.
“My experience was incredible. You would think that once they grow up, my kids would want to see the world and go to these places, but certainly before adulthood. That was a shot that I was excited about,” Reynolds told me. “Bringing them to Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates and having them run around and immerse themselves in that culture.”
Reynolds also used the trip as a teaching opportunity for his children, eager to let them explore and learn from their own curiosity.
“I wanted to foster as many questions as they might have about why people maybe dress differently, or look differently or eat differently. It was a really nice experience not just for us but for the kids,” shared the actor.
Reynolds has turned into something of a classic movie star, able to mold his persona in a way that gives audiences something familiar across his films while also always bringing something new, turning him into one of the most bankable stars in the world.
To call him just a classic movie star, however, sells him short, according to Levy.
“I want to just add on to caveats to that, He is a classic movie star. He occupies the screen. He is captivating, and he gives us Ryan Reynolds, which is what we want. But there’s two things that are not typical of movie stars. One, Ryan is a real producer. When Ryan comes on to produce like he did on free guy. He is in every step alongside me as a director from casting, shooting, editing, music, marketing, all of it. So Ryan is a 360 collaborator,’ says Levy.
For Free Guy, Levy was sure that its main character Guy wasn’t just a Deadpool clone.
“What I said to Ryan our first meeting is Deadpool and Wade is defined by cynicism. And, and sarcasm guy is the opposite guy is defined by innocence and optimism. So I want your sense of humor, but I want a completely different character completely different tone. I want this to be like Will Ferrell in Elf and Tom Hanks in Big. And what I love about Free Guy is it’s still Ryan Reynolds, but it’s a very different character.”
Free Guy is in cinemas now across the Middle East
