20th Century Fox has released the first trailer for the inconspicuously named comedy Free Guy. Starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Shawn Levy, the film has kept things close to the chest in regards to what it’s actually about thanks to Reynolds’ star-power, Deadpool cachet, and consistently good marketing.
But the trailer reveals that the film revolves around Reynolds’ titular Guy, a despondent bank teller who discovers he’s actually an NPC (non-player character) in an intense, open-world video game á la Grand Theft Auto. NPCs are often cannon fodder and target practice in games, so Guy soon realises his world is not as it seems and that his life as he knew it is mostly irrelevant.
Fortunately, he teams up with some new pals to stop the game from being shut down. The film also stars Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Channing Tatum in an undisclosed role.
This is probably not the film most were expecting, but it’s a bold, original idea backed up by a big budget, which is refreshing. Games based on video games have historically struggled, so we’ll see if one that takes the structure and tropes from games can fare any better.
Outside of Deadpool, Reynolds has struggled to find hits despite oozing charisma for his entire career. Many directors haven’t figured out the best way to use him, but it looks as if he and Levy have latched onto something good here. Free Guy hits cinemas July 3, 2020.
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