Stranger Things season 5 producer Shawn Levy wants to include Ryan Reynolds in the Netflix original's final season. When Stranger Things premiered in 2016, the series introduced a group of up-and-coming actors, including Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), and Noah Schnapp (Will Byers). These actors, Brown and Wolfhard specifically, are well-known at this point in their careers, but prior to Stranger Things, they were all relatively unheard of.
Reynolds, on the other hand, is of course one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Reynolds has been acting consistently since the '90s but became a household name after appearing in Tim Miller's Deadpool. In recent years, the actor has been collaborating with Shawn Levy, who is a director and executive producer on Stranger Things. Levy made a name for himself as a director in the early 2000s with comedies like Cheaper by the Dozen and Night at the Museum, but his last two films starring Reynolds, Free Guy and The Adam Project, have been incredibly successful. In March, it was announced the duo would be reteaming for MCU's Deadpool 3, and Levy already has Reynolds in mind for other projects.
In an interview with THR, Levy revealed he would love to work with Reynolds in Stranger Things season 5. Levy explained how important both Reynolds and Stranger Things have been to his career in the last five years before elaborating it would be "deeply trippy but satisfying" to see the actor in the Netflix series. Levy's full comment can be read below:
I want to see a Ryan Reynolds cameo in anything. The truth is, my career over the past half-decade has been defined by Stranger Things and my collaborations with Ryan, so it would be deeply trippy but satisfying to see my two worlds collide. So, Ryan Reynolds, get ready for season five.
As mentioned above, Stranger Things' cast started with mostly up-and-coming actors. Even David Harbour, who has since starred in Hellboy and Black Widow, had mainly been cast in supporting roles prior to playing Jim Hopper. With that in mind, there have been a handful of bigger names in the series. For example, Winona Ryder has been a series regular since season 1, playing Joyce Byers, Will's mother. Sean Astin played the loveable Bob Newby, who met a heroic yet tragic death at the end of season 2. Most recently, Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund appeared in season 4 as Victor Creel, who appears to have a deep connection to the Upside Down.
Including Englund in the season was a meta choice, especially since a cardboard cut-out of Freddy Krueger was shown in the season, yet the series has, for the most part, refrained from casting big names. Reynolds is able to provide laughs consistently in his films, so it could be interesting to see what the actor would bring to Stranger Things. That being said, including someone as recognizable as Reynolds could prove to be more distracting than anything else. Regardless of whether Levy and Reynolds unite in Stranger Things season 5, fans can still look forward to future collaborations like the aforementioned Deadpool 3.
Source: THR