“Free Guy” is a new movie starring Ryan Reynolds as a character in a brutal, open-world game.
Let’s find out more about the movie!
- Free Guy is an upcoming American science fiction action comedy film.
- It was directed by Shawn Levy.
- The screenplay was written by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn.
- The story was created by Lieberman.
- The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Joe Keery, and Taika Waititi.
- Free Guy is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on August 13, 2021 by 20th Century Studios.
- It will have a 45-day exclusive theatrical release.
- The film will premiere at the Piazza Grande section of the 74th Locarno Film Festival to be held from August 4 to 14.
- Its release had been pushed back three times from a July 2020 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The film received positive reviews upon release.
- Free Guy had been in development at 20th Century Fox prior to its acquisition by Disney.
- It is one of the first Fox films to continue production under Disney ownership, as well as under the studio’s new name 20th Century Studios.
- Director Shawn Levy originally read the script in 2016 but passed on it.
- Several years later, Levy was introduced to Ryan Reynolds by Hugh Jackman, a mutual friend, and the pair decided to work on Free Guy after re-reading the script together.
- Ryan Reynolds also produced the film.
- He has mentioned about the upcoming movie: “I haven’t been this fully immersed and engaged in something since Deadpool.”
- The film started principal photography in Boston in May 2019, including around the city’s Financial District.
- Filming also took place in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts and Framingham, Massachusetts, in the former Framingham Bank building, and at the former Naval Air Station in South Weymouth, Massachusetts.
- In July 2021, Reynolds released a video on YouTube titled Deadpool and Korg React, which features Reynolds reprising his role as Wade Wilson / Deadpool from the X-Men film series and Waititi reprising his role as Korg from the Marvel Cinematic Universe reacting to the trailer to Free Guy.
- On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.
- The website’s critics consensus reads: “Combining a clever concept, sweet, self-aware humor, and a charming cast, Free Guy is frivolous fun.”
- On Metacritic, the film has an aggregate score of 64 out of 100 based on 25 critic reviews, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.
- Alex Trebek’s final cameo in a movie. Once released, the film will be dedicated in loving memory of him
- Included in the 2016 Black List of “most liked” scripts
- The movie is set in a fictional, intra-video-game locale called Free City.
- Its teaser trailer opens with an establishing shot of what is visibly Pittsburgh, however, and its remainder appears to have been filmed in the Boston area.
- Local landmarks such as Faneuil Hall and the 75 State Street complex are clearly visible.
- Filmed in Boston, MA from May 2019-July 2019.
- According to the film’s website, film actors Hugh Jackman, Dwayne Johnson, Tina Fey and John Krasinski are to make cameo appearances in the movie.
- The fictional ‘Free City’ is based on Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto III (2001) and Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) games. Also, Liberty City was inspired by New York City in real life.
