Free Guy director Shawn Levy reveals that the sci-fi action comedy nearly included an Easter egg from fellow Ryan Reynolds-starrer Deadpool 2. Reynolds first brought the iconic Marvel mercenary to life on the big screen in the critically derided X-Men Origins: Wolverine before getting a proper chance to lead his own film in 2016. Deadpool proved to be a smash hit at the box office and with critics, spawning an equally successful 2018 sequel and leading to a third film entering development at Marvel Studios for the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the Disney-Fox acquisition.
Free Guy is notable for being one of the few major productions to successfully survive said acquisition after having begun development at 20th Century Fox before its 20th Century Studios rebranding. The sci-fi comedy stars Reynolds as a non-playable character of an open-world video game learning of his existence and teaming with a programmer to prevent its publisher from shutting down the game for good. Alongside Reynolds, the cast for the film includes Emmy nominee Jodie Comer, Oscar winner Taika Waititi, Stranger Things' Joe Keery and Get Out's Lil Rel Howery.
Levy recently spoke with IndieWire to discuss Free Guy and how the various cameos and Easter eggs came to life in the film. In looking at Reynolds and Deadpool franchise, the director revealed he and the creative team did discuss one possible Easter egg to bring in from the 2018 sequel but decided against it in favor of remaining true to the titular character's better nature. See what Levy said below:
"Initially, there was talk of having Guy use Cable’s gun. But we actually liked the idea that this good guy character who never fires a gun in the whole movie."
If the trailers have indicated anything about the film, it's the sheer likability of Reynolds' Guy and the kinder nature of his character even when facing danger and the threat of deletion. Given the popularity of his performance as Deadpool and the eagerness from fans, it's understandable that Levy and Reynolds would consider including the character or various nods to the Marvel franchise in the film. That being said, the latter has recently confirmed he declined a Deadpool cameo in the film as he believed it wouldn't have fit the tone or world of the story.
Based on reviews for Free Guy, both Reynolds and Levy's thoughts on removing the Deadpool 2 cameo and Easter eggs seemed to be the right decisions. Unlike the recently-released Space Jam: A New Legacy, most critics have praised Reynolds' film for utilizing its video game setting and Disney connections for exciting Easter eggs versus an overabundance of IP weaponization. Audiences can decide for themselves whether the Merc with a Mouth or Cable's gun were a good fit for the film or not as Free Guy is now in theaters.
Source: IndieWire