Ryan Reynolds breaks down how Free Guy's viral Deadpool/Korg trailer came together. This week, Reynolds' latest movie will make its long-awaited debut. Free Guy was slated to arrive last year, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed it to this summer. It centers on affable video game NPC Guy (Reynolds), who one day learns the truth about his simulated surroundings and sets off to save the world of Free City from destruction. Directed by Shawn Levy, Free Guy also stars Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi.
Like any good Reynolds movie, Free Guy has had a rather unique marketing campaign. In addition to poking fun at things like Disney's acquisition of Fox and 2011's Green Lantern, Free Guy took fans by surprise when it released a clip featuring Reynolds and Waititi's Marvel characters Deadpool and Korg. In what was effectively Reynolds' MCU debut, Deadpool and Korg reacted to a Free Guy trailer like they were YouTubers. It was a hilarious way of getting the word out about the video game movie, and it also greatly amused MCU fans.
Screen Rant received the chance to sit down with Reynolds ahead of Free Guy's release, and we couldn't resist asking him how the Deadpool and Korg trailer came together. Reynolds admitted he didn't think Disney would approve of the idea since they'd rejected other concepts. And yet, Disney gave it the greenlight. The full story, as told by Reynolds, goes like this:
The Deadpool and Korg piece was just something that we'd written over at Maximum Effort Marketing, my company. George Dewey and I wrote it out, tried to see if we could get it past Disney, and if they would say yes. We didn't think they would - because they've said no to some other things, so we were kind of in that in that wheelhouse.
But they said yes. And then the next step was asking Taika if he'd be up for it, and of course he was. Because Taika is just the greatest. We shot it, and it's probably the most expensive reaction video ever made.
Free Guy was first put into development at Fox and was one of the first movies that Disney took ownership of following its purchase of the studio. Reynolds was smart to make quick use of that partnership, both through the movie itself and its marketing. The Deadpool/Korg video was a massive surprise and once again highlighted just how good Reynolds is at marketing his own projects. Sure, it might not have used Free Guy characters, but there's no better way to get people thinking about your movie than by having Deadpool dissect it first.
Free Guy arrives exclusively in theaters next weekend, and the early buzz is so far very positive. The reviews for Free Guy all call the film a delightfully warm-hearted adventure, and if it's anything as amusing as the marketing campaign for it, then Disney just might have another winner on its hands. Reynolds has spoken highly about the project, calling it his favorite movie he's ever done. That means it even surpasses Deadpool, which everyone knows Reynolds is immensely fond of. Audiences can see the finished product for themselves next weekend and decide where it falls on the ranking of Reynolds' filmography.
