A new update on Free Guy 2 from director Shawn Levy explains why the Ryan Reynolds sequel hasn’t yet come to fruition. Released in 2021, the first movie stars Reynolds as Guy, a non-player character (NPC) in an open-world video game, who must break free from his programming in order to save Free City. In addition to Reynolds, Free Guy stars Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Channing Tatum. The film was met with mostly positive reviews from both audiences and critics, and Reynolds revealed shortly after release that Disney was interested in moving forward with a sequel.
Despite a positive update on Free Guy 2‘s script earlier this year from 20th Century Studios President Steve Asbell, Levy, in a recent interview with Collider, now offers some clarification regarding why the movie hasn’t been officially confirmed just yet. While affirming that work is continuing behind the scenes on the sequel, the director stresses that he and Reynolds only want to move forward if the film can exceed the quality of the first one. Check out Levy’s full comment below:
“It’s still in development. I don’t know if it’s in the cards, but it is very much still in development. It’s something that Disney and Fox want badly. I really try to not make sequels that don’t deserve to be. And it’s why I didn’t move forward with the Real Steel sequel because I didn’t feel we had a second movie that could match or top the first. I’m holding Free Guy to that same standard. We are still hearing ideas, developing ideas, expounding on ideas. But I would say that in the time that’s passed since Free Guy came out, the love for that movie has become more and more clear to Ryan and I, anecdotally, on sidewalks, in the press. So we’re not going to mess with a good thing unless we can make a great thing.”
What Free Guy 2 Could Be About
The first film ends on a happy note, with Millie (Comer) releasing Free Life, an open-world indie game with various NPCs recreated from the failed Free City. Despite Millie and Keys (Keery) seemingly living happily ever after and Guy being reunited with his NPC friends at the end of Free Guy, the nature of open-world games leaves room for more stories. Players in open-world games have been known to abuse game mechanics in order to obtain advantages over other players, something that could be further explored in Free Guy 2. Plus, without the resources of a large video game development studio, Millie may have a harder time containing and fixing exploits in Free City that nefarious players discover.
This premise would mean that the sequel could follow a similar trajectory to the first film, with action taking place both in the game world and in real life. As Guy, Buddy, and the other NPCs work to save the day inside Free Life, Millie and Keys could face external business threats, hacking attempts, and more. This real-world conflict in the Free Guy sequel could allow for the return of Waititi’s villain, Antwan, but could also see the introduction of a new, very different antagonist, potentially in the form of a skilled hacker determined to plunge Free Life into chaos.
The possibilities for Free Guy 2 really are endless, with the unique video game premise opening the door to many wild storylines. While it’s unclear if the sequel will happen at all after Levy’s latest comments, most viewers would surely like to see Reynolds, Comer, and the other original characters return for another hilarious, action-packed adventure. Levy and Reynolds are evidently committed to ensuring that Free Guy 2 is as good as possible, hopefully meaning that, if the sequel does happen, it’s worth the longer wait time.
Source: Collider