Ryan Reynolds' production company has inked a first-look deal with Paramount. Reynolds started the production company Maximum Effort along with executive George Dewey in January 2018. The company signed a three-year first-look deal with Fox and right out of the gate began developing a live-action adaptation of the board game Clue with Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Reynolds and Jason Bateman are reportedly set to star, though the project has been quiet since.
Maximum Effort’s most prominent production so far has been Free Guy, which Reynolds describes as his favorite film he has ever done. Free Guy is completed and waiting to be released in theaters, but has long been delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Directed by Shawn Levy, the action-comedy stars Reynolds as a bank teller named Guy who one day discovers he is actually a non-playable character in an open-world video game. Maximum Effort also had a hand in producing The Adam Project, a science fiction film in which Reynolds’ lead character goes back in time to seek help from his teenage self. The pandemic should not pose any challenges for The Adam Project's release since it is set to stream exclusively on Netflix.
Now, after the expiration of Maximum Effort’s three-year deal with Fox, the production company has signed a three-year first-look development deal with Paramount, according to THR. In this case, the deal provides Paramount with a first-look at all of Maximum Effort’s projects before other studios in the industry get access to them. Unlike the old studio system that existed during the Golden Age of Hollywood, a first-look deal is not a binding contract that prohibits Reynolds from working with other studios. No new projects were announced as part of the deal but it does include development on all Maximum Effort projects across all budget levels.
In a statement, Reynolds says he is “so happy the next chapter of Maximum Effort will be written at Paramount.” He added, “Moviegoing deserves a comeback and we’re excited to help make it happen” with Paramount Pictures. Launching in 2018, Maximum Effort is a relatively new production company that will surely gain more notoriety after the release of Free Guy and The Adam Project. With Paramount getting into the streaming game with Paramount+, this could spell a lot of interesting opportunities for Reynolds and company.
Though Maximum Effort did not play a role in producing them, Reynolds will also be starring in a number of other upcoming 2021 films, headlined by The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard and Netflix's star-studded Red Notice. Ryan Reynolds is also expected to return to his fan-favorite role as Wade Wilson at some point in the future for Marvel’s Deadpool 3.
Source: THR