Cinematic sequels are often fraught with uncertainty (especially in the current Hollywood landscape), but Free Guy is poised to break the mold with a follow-up to its 2021 success. Director Shawn Levy has confirmed that a sequel to the action-comedy, which starred Ryan Reynolds, is currently in the scripting phase at Disney and 20th Century.
In an interview with Parade, Levy expressed his commitment to the project, emphasizing that a sequel would only be pursued if it could meet or exceed the quality of the first film. If Levy truly intends to stand by these words, then this revelation is certainly a breath of fresh air in an industry where sequels are often greenlit on the basis of financial success alone.
Levy, whose directorial credits include Night at the Museum and Real Steel, as well as his role as co-creator of Stranger Things, has a track record of successful projects. His recent work includes an adaptation of All the Light We Cannot See, a limited drama miniseries that’s set to premiere on Netflix.
Despite his busy schedule, which includes directing Deadpool 3 and producing the final season of Stranger Things, Levy has expressed that Free Guy holds a special place among his works, largely due to the positive reception from fans.
The original Free Guy film was a hit with audiences and earned critical acclaim, receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.
In Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds plays Guy, your everyday NPC (that’s a non-playable character for you non-gamers) in a chaotic open-world video game. However, everything changes when Guy suddenly gains self-awareness and decides to level up from a background character to a leading man in his own life. With enough pop culture references to make your head spin, Free Guy is a fusion of The Truman Show and Grand Theft Auto, with a dash of Deadpool humor.
Levy’s collaboration with Reynolds has been fruitful, given their collaboration on the upcoming Deadpool 2 sequel. The film’s production, however, is on hold due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, and its release date has been delayed.
Nevertheless, anticipation for the film is sky-high, especially with the announcement that Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine, in addition to rumors of other stars featuring in the MCU film.
As for Free Guy 2, details about the plot remain scarce, but the creative energy and enthusiasm from Levy and Reynolds suggest that the sequel will take the MMORPG concept to a whole new level. While The Adam Project was deemed a standalone story, Free Guy appears to have more narrative space to explore, and fans are definitely eager to see where the story will go next.
