Ryan Reynolds has had a very busy year. So far, he’s been in The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife, made his first appearance in the MCU, and finished shooting a new movie with A-listers Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson. Reynold’s next project, though, the comedy movie Free Guy, is probably the one we’re most excited about, and for a good reason.
It’s early days, but initial reactions have been incredibly positive, with some critics praising the action movie’s hilarious jokes and exciting visuals. Collider’s Steven Weintraub went so far as to say it might be the best video game movie ever made, which isn’t exactly a high bar but is a big enough statement to catch our attention.
But what is Free Guy’s release date? Who’s starring alongside Ryan Reynolds? Does it have a trailer? To answer all these questions and more, we’ve scoured the web, gobbling up every scrap of Free Guy information like Pac-Man at a cherry factory. So grab your controller, press start to play, and get ready. Here’s everything we know about Free Guy.
What is the Free Guy release date?
Free Guy is set for release on August 13, 2021. When he announced the new date, Ryan Reynolds joked, “I know we’ve had a couple of hiccups, but this time it’s 100 per cent locked in,” before muttering, “unless of course.”
and now a special message from Ryan Reynolds #FreeGuy pic.twitter.com/IcjK3JJXEN
— Free Guy (@FreeGuyMovie) March 23, 2021
Like many movies this year, Free guy was supposed to be released last year, but lockdown and the subsequent closure of cinemas worldwide meant its release was delayed. It was initially supposed to come out on July 3, 2020, but was pushed back until December.
When it became clear that the pandemic wouldn’t be over by then, it was pulled from release schedules. It was then announced it was set for a May 2021 release until Reynold’s posted a video locking it into its current release date.
What happens in Free Guy?
Set in a fictional video game Free City, a sort of nightmarish blend of Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite, the film tells the story of Guy, played by Ryan Reynolds. Guy is an NPC (a non-playable-character) working as a bank teller who has to put up with the carnage gamers inflict on Free City every day.
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That is until programmers Milly (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery) develop a new piece of code that makes Guy aware that he lives in a video game. Freed from the constraints of being an NPC, Guy slowly learns how to be a hero and must save his home from being shut down by its villainous publisher Antoine (Taika Waititi).
Who are the Free Guy cast?
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds plays Guy, an NPC who becomes sentient after finding a pair of glasses that allow him to perceive the world as player characters do. Reynolds has said he believes that Free Guy is the best film he’s made, yet adding he thinks it’s “pertinent to our times”.
Is #FreeGuy a date movie? Jodie Comer and @VancityReynolds get to the heart of it. See Free Guy only in theaters August 13. pic.twitter.com/VL1nf5nYjJ
— Free Guy (@FreeGuyMovie) July 20, 2021
“I do think it’s the best movie-making experience that I’ve ever had easily, but also I think [it’s] the best movie I’ve ever done. You know, it’s the most pertinent to our times, in that sense,” he told /Film. “Where I feel Deadpool was like a movie that was pertinent to the comic book culture when it came out, this really, to me, speaks to a broader kind of spectrum of where we are in the world, and not only that but how we are in the world. I think that’s one of the reasons I think it’s my favourite movie.”
Jodie Comer will star as Millie, also known by her in-game username Molotov Girl, who developed the code that made Guy sentient. Her colleague Keys will be played by Stranger Things star Joe Keery. Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi meanwhile is also set to appear as Antoine, the film’s villain.
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A number of high profile streamers and YouTubers will also appear in the film, including Ninja, Pokimane, LazarBeam, and Jacksepticeye (was Call Me Kevin busy?). Reynolds has clearly been calling in favours among his celebrity friends as well because the film will also feature a number of high-profile cameos, including Hugh Jackman, Dwayne Johnson, Tina Fey, and John Krasinski.
Night at the Museum stalwart Shawn Levy directed the film using a script written by Matt Lieberman, who most recently wrote Scoob!, and Zak Penn, who co-wrote the story for 2012’s The Avengers. As well as starring in the film, Reynolds is also serving as the movie’s producer.
Is there a Free Guy trailer?
The first trailer for Free Guy dropped in December 2019, before Covid-19 mucked up the movie’s original release and set out the film’s basic premise while delighting us all with Reynold’s trademark snark.
Free Guy got a second trailer updated with the December release date, but we all know what happened to that particular plan…
The most recent trailer dropped in July of this year and showed off Guy’s fancy new God Mode powers now he’s no longer an NPC.
We’re not done, though. There’s been one more trailer. Well, trailer might be a bit of a stretch. It’s more of a reaction video, but marketing genius Ryan Reynolds found a way to make it go viral. Reynold’s cracked out his trusty red leather suit and gave us Deadpool’s reaction to the teaser. There’s more, though, he was joined by Korg (Taika Waititi), making this the Merc’ with a Mouth’s first official appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sort of.