What if the characters in our video games didn’t know they were characters in our video games? Free Guy centers this inventive, refreshingly original hook on “Guy” — Ryan Reynolds doing his usual schtick by way of a nebbish NPC who starts to suspect there’s something fishy going on in his world. Becoming a hero both within and outside of the video game world in the process. Think The Truman Show crossed with Wreck-It Ralph with plenty of Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto as aesthetic cues.
In addition to Reynolds, Free Guy‘s got a fun cast with players like Killing Eve‘s Jodie Comer, Stranger Things‘ Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery and Taika Waititi. And it was directed by Shawn Levy, of Night at the Museum fame, so there’s reason to think this could end up being pretty fun.
The trailer ends with December 11 as a release date, which is pretty gutsy, all things considered. Whether that means on demand, via a streaming platfom or (gulp) in theaters remains to be seen, but this does seem like the sort of movie that could enjoy a lot of success as a fun, family flick.
