Shawn Levy, director of the upcomingFree Guy,shares why video game movies are too difficult to make, believing that they restrict creative freedom to explore new boundaries.Free Guycenters around a non-playable character/bank teller named Guy (Ryan Reynolds), who realizes he is a background character in an open-world shooter game calledFree City.In a race against time, Guy tries to save his gaming world before it goes offline. Reynolds stars along with Jodie Comer, Joe Keery,Taika Waititi, and Lil Rel Howery.
Originally attached to direct the film adaptation of the popular video game,Uncharted, which will star Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, Levy recalls that the timing just didn’t work and that he instead became attached toFree Guysoon after. But given the recent history of video game films that failed to capture the same spirit as the game itself,Levy knows why his upcoming blockbuster is different than other video game movies.
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“What I know from experience—from having walked a bit of road with Nathan Drake and thatUnchartedtitle—is you can tell a story on screen, but you have to be faithful to the game expectations and gamer expectations of the original franchise,” Levy shared with Gizmodo. It’s apparent that that statement has always been true. From the failed films of 2016’sAssassin’s Creedto 2014’sNeed For Speedor theTomb Raiderseries (especially the ones starring Angelina Jolie in the titular role), too many video games turned into movies stray too far away from the heart of the game.
Levy adds that there will always be guardrails or certain parameters on the storytelling that fans of the game will hold against the movie. But that’s not the case withFree Guy.Instead,Free Guyis an original idea that doesn’t have to be faithful to any expectations. It is allowed to take risks and have total control to make any creative decisions. “Look, I can’t wait to seeUnchartedalso, but for me as a director, to have absolute freedom, absolute creative freedom where I’m beholden to nothing except the ideas that were exciting to Ryan and me, that was really fun,” Levy says.Free Guyhas an 86% on rotten tomatoes, as critics have been praising the clever concept.
Levy, who is no stranger to directing big-budget, sci-fi projects (Night at the Museumseries,Stranger Things,Real Steel), is able to blend multiple genres inFree Guythat all add up to create a fun, worthwhile journey that will have fans rushing back for more. Levy mentions that he has learned throughout his career to not be afraid of technology and to keep having fun with it and pushing new boundaries. Levy’s next film,Netflix’sThe Adam Project,is set for a 2022release and will also star Reynolds. It looks to carry over the same science fiction elements and emotionally resonating themes that can be seen inFree Guy.
