Ryan Reynolds reveals Disney wants a Free Guy sequel after the film’s impressive debut
“Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo!!” Reynolds wrote on Twitter.
“If it isn’t called, “Albuquerque Boiled Turkey” we’ve failed,” he added in a follow-up post, referencing one of the film’s in-jokes from Taika Waititi.
Director Shawn Levy quote-tweeted Reynolds’ post, simply writing “Yuuuup,” confirming Reynolds was being serious about his excitement. 20th Century Studios also re-posted the news.
Free Guy tells the story of Guy (Reynolds), an average bank teller who turns out to be an NPC (non-player character) inside an open-world video game.
When he realizes his “true calling,” he decides to become a hero by saving his friends from getting deleted by the game’s creator.
The film also stars Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Stranger Things‘ Joe Keery and Lil Rel Howery, and Brittany Runs a Marathon‘s Utkarsh Ambudkar.
The film, long-delayed by COVID, debuted in theaters this weekend, dominating the box office with $28.4 million.
The movie defies the winky self-awareness of the genre, and instead of coming off as manic and hollow, it has heart.
The timing of the film’s release is fortuitous, shifting from sneering antiheroes to more atypical ones.
Levy said about the process of bringing the film to life: “Making a movie about gaming, set in the world of gaming, set in a game was frankly super liberating compared to adapting an existing game. So, I was beholden to the world that I wanted to be authentic to, but I was not beholden to any game. I invented a game.”