It seems like forever ago that buzz for the Ryan Reynolds film "Free Guy" began circulating. And, well, it was -- the film started production when the studio was still 20th Century Fox, prior to the Disney acquisition that replaced "Fox" with "Studios." It was originally slated for a July 2020 release, but alas, the pandemic had other plans.
The film follows Reynolds as a background video game character who becomes aware that his world -- a game called "Free City," a blend of "Fortnite" and "Grand Theft Auto" -- isn’t real and takes it upon himself to save the city from shutdown. Directed by Shawn Levy ("Stranger Things") and including Joe Keery (also "Stranger Things"), Jodie Comer ("Killing Eve"), Taika Waititi ("Jojo Rabbit"), Utkarsh Ambudkar ("Pitch Perfect") and Lil Rey Howery ("Get Out"), this film has been at the top of everyone's must-watch list since the start. Ryan Reynolds as an adorable "good guy" with an A+ supporting cast? Yeah, that's just what the quarantine doctors ordered.
Yesterday, in prep for a new trailer release, the cast and crew put together a *chef’s kiss* perfect promo that put Reynolds' signature comedy together with the very real struggles the film industry has battled since March. The team got together via video chat to film soundbites for alternative release dates. As of now, the date is Dec. 11, but if we've learned anything this year, it's that literally nothing is set in stone.
"'Free Guy,' coming this Christmas," Reynolds started them off.
"Coming on a July 4th," Ambudkar added.
"Coming Halloween, but not the one that you think," Comer quipped.
Other options? Before or after the next Olympics; when Mars is in retrograde; before the asteroid hits; and this Pinecone Appreciation Day.
However long we have to wait, at least we got a new trailer out of it, right? Reynolds tweeted it out this morning, along with some very on-brand messaging about letting this film be a mental salve amid lots of dismal news.
However long we have to wait, we appreciate the dedication.