Free Guy
| Free Guy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Shawn Levy |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Matt Lieberman |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | George Richmond |
| Edited by | Dean Zimmerman |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | 20th Century Studios |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 115 minutes[3] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100–125 million[4] |
| Box office | $331.5 million[1][5] |
Free Guy is a 2021 American contemporary fantasy directed and produced by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Joe Keery, and Taika Waititi. It tells the story of a bank teller who discovers that he is a non-player character in a massively multiplayer online game who then partners with a player to find evidence that a gaming company's CEO stole the player's game's source code.
Lieberman began writing the script in 2016, which was acquired by 20th Century Fox shortly after. Levy passed on the script but reconsidered after Hugh Jackman introduced him to Reynolds, resulting in him leaving the film adaptation of the Uncharted video game he had been developing. The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney made Free Guy one of the first films produced by the studio to continue production under Disney's ownership. Filming took place in Massachusetts and California between May and July 2019.
After the film was delayed two times by the COVID-19 pandemic, it premiered at the 74th Locarno Film Festival on August 10, 2021, and was released theatrically in the United States three days later on August 13 in RealD 3D, IMAX, 4DX and Dolby Cinema formats. It grossed $331.5 million worldwide. The film received generally positive reviews from critics for the concept, comparing it to science fiction films and action video games such as Ready Player One, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Grand Theft Auto, and Fortnite.[6][7] The film received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards.
Plot
[edit]Free City is an online game[8] developed by Soonami Studios. Its players wear sunglasses and spend their time fighting each other and causing mayhem. Unaware that the world they live in is a video game, the non-player characters (NPCs) accept the chaos while living out their scripted lives. An NPC named Guy works as a clerk in Free City's bank with his best friend, security guard Buddy. Unemployed software developer Millie Rusk plays Free City to find proof that Soonami stole the source code from the concept game she developed, Life Itself, which included novel artificial intelligence techniques for its NPCs. Her friend Walter "Keys" McKey is reluctant to help, as he now works in technical support at Soonami.
Millie's avatar "MolotovGirl" catches Guy's attention by singing his favorite song, "Fantasy". Guy then begins to deviate from his programming, accidentally shooting a player robbing the bank and leaving with her sunglasses. Believing Guy to be a hacker disguised as an NPC, Keys and his coworker Mouser unsuccessfully try to ban him from the game. Accessing the players' view of the game, Guy visits new areas and meets Millie at Revenjamin Buttons' stash house, where they attempt to steal evidence leading to her source code. Believing Guy to be a novice player, she advises him to level up. Guy rapidly progresses through the game by completing missions benevolently, standing out from other players and becoming a worldwide sensation known as "Blue Shirt Guy".
As Keys realizes that Guy truly is an NPC, other NPCs that Guy interacts with also begin to develop self-awareness. However, Free City 2 is due to release in 48 hours and will replace Free City, terminating all of its NPCs. Millie tells Guy the truth about his existence, but he becomes distraught and breaks off contact. Guy eventually realizes that there is something more to an NPC's existence, and goes with Buddy to get the evidence Millie wanted from Revenjamin Buttons (who accidentally glitched through the edge of Free City's map and discovered an older build of Life Itself, recording a video clip in the process). Blue Shirt Guy's popularity threatens the plans of Soonami's CEO Antwan Hovachelik to launch Free City 2, so he orders a server reboot which resets Guy's memories. Guy regains his self-awareness when Millie kisses him.
Guy recalls the location of an island containing remnants of the Life Itself build and they attempt to reach it before the Free City 2 launch wipes all old content from the servers. Antwan fires Keys, has every player removed from Free City, and sends an unfinished Guy-resembling character named Dude into the game. Initially overwhelmed, Guy then puts his sunglasses on Dude, distracting him. Guy then proceeds to the island. In a last-ditch attempt to stop him, Antwan begins smashing the game servers with an axe, erasing Buddy and much of the game world, while firing Mouser. Before he can destroy the final server, Millie offers a deal to not sue him for copyright infringement and surrender the Free City franchise's profits to him in exchange for her creation.
Sometime later, sales for Free City 2 slip because of bugs in the code and lagging online play. An embattled Antwan is in the crosshairs, but claims he is a victim. Millie salvages her code and along with Keys and Mouser, releases the indie game Free Life, which includes Guy, Dude, and the other NPCs from Free City. Guy reveals to Millie that his code is actually a love letter to her from Keys. During the development of Life Itself, Keys had encoded what he knew about her tastes into an AI routine in the game, which was eventually incorporated into Free City. This explains why Guy felt drawn to MolotovGirl. After Millie leaves the game, she and Keys kiss. Meanwhile, Guy and Dude reunite with Buddy, who was reconstructed.
Cast
[edit].jpg)
- Ryan Reynolds as Guy / Blue Shirt Guy, a bank teller and non-player character (NPC) in Free City who is initially unaware that he is a video game character.
- Reynolds also provides the uncredited voice and facial motion capture for Dude, an incomplete muscular version of Guy with a blue shirt tattoo on his chest that was made for Free City 2. Dude is physically portrayed by bodybuilder Aaron W. Reed.[9]
- Jodie Comer as Millie Rusk, a player and unemployed software designer looking inside the game for source code to her original game Life Itself, which she co-developed with Keys.[10] In Free City, her avatar is MolotovGirl. Comer wore a short dark-brown wig and used a Southern English accent when portraying MolotovGirl. Comer normally speaks with a Liverpool accent.[11]
- Lil Rel Howery as Buddy, a Free City bank security guard and Guy's best friend.
- Joe Keery as Walter "Keys" McKey, a developer for Soonami Studios' technical support department and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate who co-developed Life Itself with Millie. In Free City, his avatar is described as a "dirty stripper cop". Keery had previously worked with director Shawn Levy on Stranger Things.
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as Mouser, a developer and Keys's coworker at Soonami Studios' technical support department.[12] In Free City, his avatar is a police officer in a muscular rabbit suit.
- Taika Waititi as Antwan Hovachelik, the ruthless and narcissistic founder and CEO of Soonami Studios who stole the source code for Life Itself to make Free City with plans to have it replaced with Free City 2.[13][7]
- Channing Tatum as Revenjamin Buttons, an avatar in Free City who owns a stash house that Guy and MolotovGirl try to break into to obtain incriminating data involving Life Itself.
- Matty Cardarople as Keith, a 22-year-old gamer who plays Free City as Revenjamin Buttons.
Recurring NPCs in Free City include Britne Oldford as Missy, a barista; Camille Kostek as the bombshell that was originally associated with Revenjamin Buttons and bank robber #3 before befriending Missy; Mark Lainer as a bank hostage who always has his hands up; Mike Devine as Officer Johnny, a police officer that Guy knows; Sophie Levy as a big city dreamer; Vernon Scott as the manager of the bank that Guy and Buddy work at who would get attacked by bank robbers as part of a Free City bonus; Naheem Garcia as Joe, a convenience store owner whose store is always robbed by the players while being thrown through his window; Anabel Graetz as Phyllis, an elderly cat lady who needs help finding her cats; Ric Plamenco as an ice cream vendor in the part of Free City where no quests are; Kenneth Israel as a businessman; Michael Malvesti as a newsstand vendor; Michael Tow as a man who quotes "looks like rain"; Colin Allen as a shoe store clerk; and Bob Gilliam as a news anchor at FCNN (short for Free City News Network).
Soonami Studios' staff include Jonathan De Azevedo as Jonathan, the personal assistant of Antwan; Destiny Claymore as one of the artists at Soonami Studios who develop Dude; Minh-Anh Day as a Soonami Studios employee who informs Antwan that no retailer will carry their bloody zombie video game due to concerns about its nature; and Jose Guns Alves as a Soonami Studios security guard.
The film features cameo appearances from gamers and streamers jacksepticeye, Ninja, Pokimane, DanTDM, and LazarBeam who, in the film, provide commentary on Guy and Free City on their respective YouTube and Twitch channels from their own perspectives.[14]
Actor Chris Evans and Good Morning America anchor Lara Spencer make cameo appearances as themselves.[15][16] Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek made a posthumous cameo appearance in his final film role before his passing on November 8, 2020.[17][18]
Other voice roles in the film include Hugh Jackman as a masked avatar in an alley (physically portrayed by Patrick Vincent Curran) who MolotovGirl gets the location to Revenjamin Buttons' stash house from, Dwayne Johnson as bank robber #2 (physically portrayed by Owen Burke) whom Guy accidentally shoots while trying to claim his sunglasses, Tina Fey as Keith's mother (physically portrayed by Regina Taufen) who was vacuuming in the background, and John Krasinski as a silhouetted gamer (physically portrayed by Rosario Corso) who comments about Guy and the NPCs alongside the previously mentioned gamers and streamers.[19][16]
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]
In August 2016, Matt Lieberman spent three weeks writing the first draft of the spec script for Free Guy.[20] This was sold and entered development at 20th Century Fox prior to being acquired by The Walt Disney Company. Free Guy is one of the first Fox films to continue production under Disney's ownership, as well as under the studio's new name of 20th Century Studios.[21] Director Shawn Levy originally passed on the script. After he was introduced to Ryan Reynolds by a mutual friend Hugh Jackman (whom Levy directed in Real Steel and Reynolds costarred with in X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Levy and Reynolds decided to work on Free Guy after rereading it together.[4] Reynolds, who also produced the film, said, "I haven't been this fully immersed and engaged in something since Deadpool."[21] Levy had previously been attached to the film Uncharted, an adaptation of the video game series of the same name, before he left to make Free Guy.[22]
Filming
[edit]Principal photography began on May 14, 2019,[23] in Boston, mostly around the city's Financial District.[24][25] It also took place in the Massachusetts cities of Worcester,[26] Framingham (in the former Framingham Savings Bank building),[27] and Weymouth (at the former Naval Air Station),[28] as well as at Revere Beach[29] and the Paramount Pictures studio headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Filming concluded on July 31, 2019.[23]
Design and cultural references
[edit]Levy decided to hire production designer Ethan Tobman over other candidates with more feature film experience after being inspired by the energy he brought to the project. Together they created a visual bible laying out the rules for their video game world. To split the real world from the in-game look they specified colors, lenses, composition and framing, camera movement, and other details.[22] Levy found it liberating to be influenced by other games and films but not required to make a direct adaptation of an existing franchise.[22] Tobman said the film's game-world design drew primary inspiration from games like SimCity, The Sims and Red Dead Redemption 2, while also acknowledging thematic inspiration from Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite.[8] In order to help Reynolds fully tap into his Guy character after Deadpool, Levy suggested that he tap into his Canadian background and act very friendly, full of joy, a typical Canadian citizen. He also found inspiration in Peter Sellers' role in Being There and Will Ferrell's role in Elf because they played characters who were similar to Guy's character being simple-minded.[30]
The film features several weapons from other video game and film franchises, including a Mega Buster from Mega Man, a lightsaber from Star Wars, one of Fortnite's pickaxes, the gravity gun from Half-Life 2, the portal gun from Portal, as well as Captain America's shield and Hulk's fist from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When the film was acquired by Disney, which owns the Marvel and Star Wars franchises, the filmmakers made a request to use iconic weapons from those properties, and were granted permission to use everything they requested.[16][8][22] The cameo by Chris Evans was suggested by Reynolds' wife Blake Lively.[31] Levy contacted Evans, who was already in Boston shooting Defending Jacob and asked if he would come by for ten minutes, and he agreed.[32]
Music
[edit]The film's score was composed by Christophe Beck.[33] Portions of the film's score are sampled from the Disney animated short film Paperman, which Beck had previously scored. Levy had originally intended to use the song "Your Love" by the Outfield, but Reynolds suggested using "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey instead.[16] Reynolds talked to Carey about obtaining permission to use it and she allowed them to use the song throughout the film.[34] A cover version of "Fantasy" sung by Comer was also used in the film.[16][22]
Marketing
[edit]When promoting the film in 2019, Reynolds and Waititi joked that it was nice to work together for the first time, pretending that they knew nothing about their previous experience working together on the poorly-received 2011 Green Lantern film.[35][36][37] In July 2021, Reynolds released a video on YouTube titled Deadpool and Korg React, in which he reprised his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool from the X-Men film series and Waititi reprised his role as Korg from the Marvel Cinematic Universe reacting to the trailer to Free Guy.[38]
On August 12, 2021, Dude became a purchasable outfit in the video game Fortnite alongside a series of optional quests placed into the game to allow players to unlock an emote with Reynolds's voice.[39] Free Guy's marketing team created parody posters in the style of other video games, including Super Mario 64, Minecraft, Among Us, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Mega Man, Street Fighter II, Doom, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.[40]
Release
[edit]Theatrical
[edit]Free Guy was released in the United States on August 13, 2021[41] in RealD 3D, IMAX, 4DX and Dolby Cinema formats. It was the first film from Walt Disney Studios during the COVID-19 pandemic released exclusively to theaters for 45 days before releasing on streaming services.[42] The film was initially scheduled to be released on July 3, 2020, but it was delayed because of the pandemic.[43][44][45] It was then moved to December 11, 2020.[46][47] In November 2020, the studio removed the film, along with Death on the Nile, from its upcoming release schedule until further notice.[48][49] The next month, the film was rescheduled to May 21, 2021.[50] In March, Ryan Reynolds announced that Free Guy was delayed to its August date.[51] The film premiered at the Piazza Grande section of the 74th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland in August 2021.[2]
Home media
[edit]Free Guy was released on digital on September 28, 2021,[52] 45 days after its theatrical release,[53] and was released on 4K,[54] DVD, and Blu-ray by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on October 12,[52][55] two months after its theatrical release. It was added to Disney+ and HBO Max in the United States on February 23, 2022.[56][57][58] According to Samba TV, the film was watched by 2.5 million US households in its first five days of streaming on Disney+ and HBO Max.[59] According to the streaming aggregator JustWatch, Free Guy was the most streamed film across all platforms in the United States, during the week ending February 27, 2022.[60]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]Free Guy grossed $121.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $209.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $331.5 million.[1][5]
In the United States and Canada, Free Guy was released alongside Respect and Don't Breathe 2, and was initially projected to gross $15–18 million from 4,165 theaters in its opening weekend.[61] However, after making $10.5 million on its first day (including $2.2 million from Thursday-night previews), estimates were raised to $26 million. It went on to debut to $28.4 million, topping the box office.[6] The film made $18.5 million in its second weekend, remaining in first. The drop of just 34% marked the smallest second-weekend decline of any wide release of the summer and the second-best of Reynolds' career.[62] In its third weekend, it was beaten by newcomer Candyman, but the film continued to hold well, falling by 27% earning $13.6 million.[63]
Critical response
[edit]On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 80% based on 297 reviews and an average rating of 7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Combining a clever concept, sweet, self-aware humor, and a charming cast, Free Guy is frivolous fun."[64] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 51 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[65] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[6]
Peter Debruge of Variety magazine called the film an "at-times unwieldy mashup of multiple-reality blockbusters like The Matrix and The Lego Movie" and said that "Free Guy is a lot of fun, despite the fact that Levy and the screenwriters seem to be changing the rules as they go."[66] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times lauded both the "perfectly cast" Reynolds and "superb and charming Jodie Comer." Giving the film three out of four stars, he wrote "Thanks in large part to the vibrant, funny, sweet, endearing work by Reynolds and Comer, Free Guy delivers."[67] A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a C+ grade and said, "For all its casual mayhem, Free Guy turns out to be a rather cuddly crowdpleaser, a high-concept blockbuster trifle with bubblegum ice cream clogging its circuits." Dowd contrasted the film with The Truman Show, saying "Reynolds replicates that slightly unhinged Truman Burbank grin but not the desperation behind it."[68] Nick De Semlyen of Empire was critical of the film; he compared it unfavorably to 2018's Ready Player One, and said that although it is "eager to please" it "doesn't really hang together, even as you're watching it.".[69]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | March 27, 2022 | Best Visual Effects | Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, and Dan Sudick | Nominated | [70] |
| British Academy Film Awards | March 13, 2022 | Best Special Visual Effects | Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, and Dan Sudick | Nominated | [71] |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 13, 2022 | Best Comedy | Free Guy | Nominated | [72] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | March 17, 2022 | Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie | Free Guy | Nominated | [73] |
| Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie | Ryan Reynolds | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie | Jodie Comer | Nominated | |||
| Golden Trailer Awards | October 7, 2022 | Best Viral Campaign for a Feature Film | Free Guy | Won | [74][75] |
| Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards | February 28, 2022 | Best Comedy or Musical | Free Guy | Nominated | [76][77] |
| Best Visual Effects | Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, and Dan Sudick | Nominated | |||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | June 5, 2022 | Best Comedic Performance | Ryan Reynolds | Won | [78] |
| Best Fight | Guy vs. Dude | Nominated | |||
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | April 9, 2022 | Favorite Movie Actor | Ryan Reynolds | Nominated | [79] |
| People's Choice Awards | December 7, 2021 | The Comedy Movie of 2021 | Free Guy | Won | [80] |
| The Male Movie Star of 2021 | Ryan Reynolds | Nominated | |||
| The Comedy Movie Star of 2021 | Nominated | ||||
| Saturn Awards | October 25, 2022 | Best Science Fiction Film | Free Guy | Nominated | [81][82] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jodie Comer | Nominated |
Possible sequel
[edit]On August 14, 2021, following the film's successful first-day box-office gross, Reynolds confirmed that Disney wanted a sequel.[83][84] In March 2022, Steve Asbell, president of 20th Century Studios, said a script was being submitted shortly and called the sequel "a fantastic story".[85][86] Comer has expressed interest in returning for a sequel, stating, "I would honestly jump at the chance to be back on a set with all those guys. [The first movie] was such a joyous experience -- so to hear that that may be in the cards sound like a ton of fun."[87]
In September 2023, Levy said the story for the sequel was being revised in response to the film Barbie. Levy stated, "We are developing a sequel, but the truth is that you now have Barbie that has obviously left a mark about a character in a fictional world who comes to self-awareness. So, we're only gonna make Free Guy 2 if it's different than the first movie and if it's different from other movies."[88]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Free Guy (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Grater, Tom (July 1, 2021). "Locarno Unveils 2021 Line-Up: Abel Ferrara's Ethan Hawke-Starrer 'Zeros And Ones' To World Premiere". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Free Guy". Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Low-Key Hustle of 'Free Guy' Filmmaker Shawn Levy: 'I'm Willing to Outwork Anybody'". The Hollywood Reporter. August 5, 2021. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "Free Guy (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 15, 2021). "How Ryan Reynolds & Shawn Levy's 'Free Guy' Triumphed At The Weekend Pandemic B.O. With A Great $28M+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Weiss, Josh (November 26, 2019). "Free Guy Composer Says Ryan Reynolds Comedy Will Be Grand Theft Auto Meets The Truman Show". Syfy. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ a b c Egan, Toussaint (August 14, 2021). "Free Guy's IP-bonanza ending was inspired by the entire crew". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ "Ryan Reynolds Fights a Super Buff Version of Himself in Hilarious Free Guy Scene". People. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Parker, Ryan; Kit, Borys (December 19, 2018). "'Killing Eve' Star Jodie Comer Joins Ryan Reynolds in 'Free Guy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ O, Desirée (July 17, 2022). "The Confusion About Jodie Comer's Accent Explained". Nicksiwft.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "Game on! Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer star in first 'Free Guy' trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (March 28, 2019). "Taika Waititi, Utkarsh Ambudkar Join Fox's Action-Comedy 'Free Guy'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ McMillan, Grahame (October 3, 2019). "First Look at Ryan Reynolds' 'Free Guy' Wows New York Comic Con". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ Ivie, Devon (October 5, 2020). "Free Guy Trailer: Wreck-It Ryan Reynolds". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Boone, John (August 13, 2021). "'Free Guy' Director Shawn Levy Talks Chris Evans' Cameo and Mariah Carey (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ "'Free Guy' director explains how Alex Trebek's posthumous cameo came about". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ "Ryan Reynolds discusses Alex Trebek's 'Free Guy' cameo". NME. August 11, 2021. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (August 12, 2021). "Free Guy Cameos: Which Celebrities Appear in Ryan Reynolds' Video Game Movie?". IGN. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (August 18, 2021). "'Free Guy' Writer Matt Lieberman Reveals Two Changes Ryan Reynolds Suggested". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Romano, Nick; Aquilina, Tyler (October 3, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds turns videogame hero (or not) in first Free Guy footage and poster". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Tangcay, Jazz (August 15, 2021). "'Free Guy' Director Shawn Levy on Jodie Comer Singing and Those Surprising Crossovers". Variety. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
Wait, you want me to sing a Mariah Carey cover in a movie that a lot of people are going to see?
- ^ a b Mitra, Shraman (August 12, 2021). "Where Was Free Guy Filmed?". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Lillian (May 14, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds strikes a pose with 'Free Guy' cast as filming ramps up in Boston". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ Slane, Kevin (May 17, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds movie 'Free Guy' sets up to film in Boston". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Ryan Reynolds movie 'Free Guy' transforms downtown Worcester into car chase scene". MassLive. May 22, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ Haddadin, Jim (May 7, 2019). "Framingham bank to be featured in Hollywood movie 'Free Guy'". The MetroWest Daily News. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ Trufant, Jessica (May 21, 2019). "Life goes on at Union Point after developer's ouster". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Saladna, Mary (July 10, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds films movie scenes at Revere Beach". WCVB. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Ahearn, Victoria (August 10, 2021). "Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy on the Canadianness of 'Free Guy' and Alex Trebek's cameo". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ Vanessa Etienne (August 17, 2021). "Ryan Reynolds Says Epic Free Guy Cameo was 'Entirely' Wife Blake Lively's Idea". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ Matt Goldberg (August 16, 2021). "'Free Guy': Shawn Levy Reveals How He Was Able to Get [Spoiler] into the Film's Climax". Collider. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "Christophe Beck to Score Shawn Levy's 'Free Guy'". Film Music Reporter. October 16, 2019. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ Ferme, Antonio (August 4, 2021). "Ryan Reynolds Talks About His 'Love' of Mariah Carey and Using Her Song 'Fantasy' in 'Free Guy'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ Rachel Yang (May 3, 2020). "Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi joke they've never heard of their movie 'Green Lantern'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Charles Barfield (October 3, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds & Taika Waititi Have A Curious Case Of 'Green Lantern' Amnesia In New 'Free Guy' Video". ThePlaylist.net. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
it appears that both actors have a curious case of amnesia
- ^ 20th Century Studios (October 3, 2019). Free Guy | Meet the Cast of Free Guy | 20th Century FOX. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Tapp, Tom (July 13, 2021). "Deadpool And Korg React To Trailer For Ryan Reynolds And Taika Waititi's New Movie, 'Free Guy'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ "Free guy quests in fortnite". Epic Games. August 12, 2021. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Griner, David (August 10, 2021). "The Story Behind Free Guy's Pixel-Perfect Video Game Homage Posters". Adweek. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (March 23, 2021). "'Black Widow,' 'Cruella' to Debut on Disney Plus and in Theaters as Disney Shifts Dates for Seven Films". Variety. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ Couch, Aaron; McClintock, Pamela (May 13, 2021). "'Free Guy' and 'Shang-Chi' to Get Exclusive Theatrical Releases". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Welk, Brian (April 3, 2020). "'Black Widow' Moves to November as Other MCU Films Shift Back to 2021, 2022". The Wrap. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (December 7, 2019). "Fox Releases First Trailer For 'Free Guy'; Ryan Reynolds Refers To Unlikely Superhero Origin Story As Modern-Day 'Back To The Future' – CCXP". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- ^ Kit, Borys (September 28, 2018). "Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy Team for Action Comedy 'Free Guy'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ Bullard, Benjamin (April 5, 2020). "Ryan Reynolds reveals Free Guy December new release date". SyFy. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Gemmill, Allie (October 4, 2020). "New 'Free Guy' Trailer Teaser Hypes Ryan Reynolds' Comedy That You'll (Probably) See in 2020". Collider. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (November 5, 2020). "'Free Guy,' 'Death on the Nile' Sail Out of 2020 Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Crisis". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- ^ "Ryan Reynolds' 'Free Guy' movie won't hit theaters in December". Engadget. November 6, 2020. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ Couch, Adam (December 11, 2020). "'Free Guy,' 'Thor 4' and 'Lightyear' Get Release Dates Amid New Disney Plan". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 23, 2021). "Disney Shifts 'Black Widow' & 'Cruella' To Day & Date Release In Theaters And Disney+, Jarring Summer Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ Vary, Adam B. (May 13, 2021). "Disney: 'Shang-Chi,' 'Free Guy' to Have 45-Day Theatrical Window". Variety. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "Free Guy 4K Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD)". Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "Free Guy Blu-ray Release Date & Special Features Revealed". ScreenRant. August 23, 2021. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ Mihalcik, Carrie (December 16, 2021). "Free Guy comes to Disney Plus on Feb. 23". CNET. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ "Watch Free Guy | Full movie | Disney+". Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ "'Free Guy' is Coming Soon to Both Disney+ and HBO Max". Cord Cutters News. December 17, 2021. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ "Free Guy was watched by 2.5 million U.S. households in its first five days of streaming". JoBlo. March 4, 2022. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ Gruenwedel, Erik (March 1, 2022). "JustWatch: 'Yellowstone,' 'Free Guy' Top Weekly Streamed TV Show, Movie List". Media Play News. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (August 11, 2021). "Disney's 'Free Guy' Is Playing Only in Theaters. Can That Help Ticket Sales?". Variety. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 22, 2021). "'Free Guy' Posts Best Summer Second Weekend Hold During Pandemic; 'Paw Patrol' Arrests $13M – Sunday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 29, 2021). "'Candyman' Makes The Box Office Taste Good With $22M+ Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Free Guy (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Free Guy Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (August 5, 2021). "'Free Guy' Review: Ryan Reynolds Levels Up in This Meta-Video Game Rom-Com". Variety. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Roeper, Richard (August 11, 2021). "'Free Guy': Ryan Reynolds at top skill level in clever video game comedy". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021.
- ^ Dowd, A.A. (August 5, 2021). "Free Guy review: Ryan Reynolds gets his own Truman Show". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ De Semlyen, Nick (August 5, 2021). "'Free Guy Review". Empire. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan; Grantham-Philips, Wyatte (February 8, 2022). "Oscar Nominations 2022: 'Power of the Dog' Leads With 12 Nods, 'Dune' Follows With 10 (Full List)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman; Ravindran, Manori (March 13, 2022). "'The Power of the Dog' Wins Best Film at BAFTAs; 'Dune' Leads With Five Wins". Variety. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Angelique; Shanfeld, Ethan (March 13, 2022). "Critics Choice Awards 2022: 'The Power of the Dog,' 'Ted Lasso,' 'Succession' Win Big (Full Winners List)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (February 22, 2022). "'Spider-Man,' 'Shang-Chi' Lead Critics Choice Super Awards Film Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (August 2, 2022). "Golden Trailer Awards: The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick Among Nominees, Disney Leads for Studios (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Winners of the 22nd Annual Golden Trailer Awards" (PDF). Golden Trailer Awards. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Dune, CODA, and Belfast Lead the 5th Annual HCA Film Awards Nominations". Hollywood Critics Association. December 2, 2021. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ Urban, Sasha (February 28, 2022). "Hollywood Critics Association Awards 2022: 'CODA' Wins Best Picture, Jane Campion and Denis Villeneuve Tie for Director". Variety. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (June 5, 2022). "MTV Movie & TV Awards: Spider-Man: No Way Home, Euphoria Top Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Gajewski, Ryan (April 9, 2022). "Kids' Choice Awards: Spider-Man: No Way Home Wins Big; Dr. Jill Biden Speaks". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Coates, Tyler (December 7, 2021). "People's Choice Awards: Dwayne Johnson, Black Widow and Shang-Chi Among Top Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Tinoco, Armando (August 12, 2022). "Saturn Awards Nominations: The Batman, Nightmare Alley, Spider-Man, Better Call Saul Top List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (October 26, 2022). "Saturn Award Winners Headlined By Everything Everywhere All At Once, Top Gun Maverick, and Better Call Saul". Collider. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Reynolds, Ryan [@vancityreynolds] (August 14, 2021). "Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo!! #irony" (Tweet). Retrieved August 14, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Lisa Respers (August 16, 2021). "Ryan Reynolds says 'Free Guy' sequel is a go". CNN. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ Kit, Borys (March 3, 2022). "10-Plus Movies a Year for Hulu, 'Avatar' (For Real!), More 'Free Guy': 20th Century Studios President on Company's Future". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Owens, Kelvin (March 3, 2022). "'Free Guy 2' Status Revealed by 20th Century Studios President". Collider. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Northrup, Ryan (October 11, 2021). "Jodie Comer Reacts To Ryan Reynolds Saying Disney Wants Free Guy 2". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ McPherson, Chris (September 11, 2023). "'Barbie' Has Changed the Future of 'Free Guy 2'". Collider. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
External links
[edit]
- 2021 films
- 2021 action comedy films
- 2021 science fiction action films
- 2020s American films
- 2020s English-language films
- 2020s science fiction comedy films
- 20th Century Studios films
- 21 Laps Entertainment films
- 4DX films
- American action comedy films
- American science fiction action films
- American science fiction comedy films
- English-language action comedy films
- Existentialist films
- Films about video games
- Films about virtual reality
- Films directed by Shawn Levy
- Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Films produced by Greg Berlanti
- Films produced by Ryan Reynolds
- Films produced by Sarah Schechter (producer)
- Films produced by Shawn Levy
- Films scored by Christophe Beck
- Films set in computers
- Films shot in Boston
- Films shot in Massachusetts
- Films with screenplays by Matt Lieberman
- Films with screenplays by Zak Penn
- IMAX films
- Maximum Effort films
- Metafictional works
- Self-reflexive films
- TSG Entertainment films
- Works about copyright law
- English-language science fiction comedy films
- English-language science fiction action films