20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell says the Free Guy 2 script is days away from completion. Last year's Free Guy was written by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn and directed by Shawn Levy. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as an NPC in a popular online video game who suddenly gains sentience and seeks to better the lives within his digital world and prevent it from being shut down. The film co-starred Jodie Comer, Channing Tatum, Taika Waititi, Lil Rel Howery, and Joe Keery. The film was a tremendous success for 20th Century Studios/Disney, pulling in $331 million globally.
Shortly after it was released, a sequel was put on the board, although no details or specifics were given. It's expected that Reynolds will return, along with Levy at the helm, although it's unclear if it's the same writing team or not. Recently, both Reynolds and Levy talked about the sequel moving forward, saying that they would move forward with Free Guy 2 when they felt confident that they have a worthy idea for it.
It now appears that they may have cracked the code for Free Guy 2, as the script is days away from being turned in. Talking to THR, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell said that they are "awaiting a script that is days away" for the sequel, and that "it's a fantastic story." Asbell talked about a number of upcoming projects for the Disney-owned division, from Avatar to Planet of the Apes and beyond, mentioning that "...we have more Free Guy movies coming" which implies not only one new sequel for the franchise, but others to follow. With 20th Century Studios finally finding its stride after the Disney acquisition, having dealt with the changes that came with that, but also with the pandemic, it appears that they are about to hit the ground running with Asbell stating that "we’re actually making more than ever" as it relates to theatrical and streaming.
Reynolds and Levy recently re-teamed for the Netflix original sci-fi adventure flick The Adam Project, which is set to debut on March 11th. Reynolds' next project to debut after that will be the holiday comedy Spirited with Will Ferrell. Levy, meanwhile, is set to debut Stranger Things season 4, part 1, on Netflix in May, with the second part to debut in July. The writer-director is also set to direct the WWII mini-series All The Light We Cannot See for Netflix, as well as a remake of John Carpenter's 1984 sci-fi film Starman.
With Free Guy making its debut on streaming last month, more and more viewers are discovering it, driving the popularity of the film, as well as a strong desire for a sequel. For Disney and 20th Century Studios, the Free Guy franchise is a slam dunk, particularly being as successful as it was, while also being an original property, which allows a wide margin for exploration and expansion. Free Guy also represents a kind of Disney/20th Century Studios hybrid style of film, which fits right in the PG-13 sweet spot for all audience fare, without being too edgy or too light. There's no doubt that Free Guy 2 and any sequels or spinoffs that follow will continue to capitalize on the IP, which is ripe for exploration.
Source: THR