Movies
ByJames Gemmill/
Finally, after more than a year of cheeky teaser trailers and fun promotional clips, 20th Century Studios' "Free Guy" has arrived in theaters. Critics and audiences alike have been quick to show their excitement for the movie's mid-August release. The Ryan Reynolds comedy scores high marks onRotten Tomatoesboth critically and with audiences. "Free Guy" opened to $12 millionat the domestic box office (via The Numbers) with the receipts doubling over the weekend.
It's not difficult to see why "Free Guy" has mass appeal and critical success to spare. The film boasts an incredible cast featuring Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, JoeKeery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Lil Rel Howery. A quick glance at the "Free Guy" IMDbpage also reveals cameo voice appearances from Channing Tatum, Hugh Jackman, and John Krasinski."Free Guy" is a wholly original storythatmakes smart decisions about the way it riffs on pop culture, especially gaming culture.
Directed by Shawn Levy, "Free Guy" follows Guy (Reynolds), a non-player character (NPC) who lives inside an open-world game called "Free City." Guy spends most of his days as both metaphorical and literal cannon fodder for a variety of avatars who run around Free City, shooting up Guy's hometown and taking whatever they want. One day, Guy makes the conscious decision to not follow his programming, setting off a wild and exciting chain of events that permanently changes Guy's digital life.
With so much success so soon, here's what we know so far about the chances of "Free Guy 2" happening, including the expected release date, casting announcements, and the possible plot of the sequel.
What is Free Guy 2's release date?
No release date for "Free Guy 2" has been set. However, a sequel to "Free Guy" certainly seems possibleif an intriguing post-release tweet from Ryan Reynolds is any indication.Just one day after "Free Guy" hit theaters, Reynolds tweeted out, "Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging 'Free Guy' as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo!!"
Reynolds' enthusiastic tweet is the clearest indicator that 20th Century Studios and its parent company Disney are leaning favorably toward a sequel. This is helped by the fact that "Free Guy" is also enjoying a relatively favorable reception at the box office, earning upwards of $28 million in its first four days. In any year pre-2020, that opening would have been worrisome; in this new, post-pandemic era, however, this is a positive result indeed.
If Reynolds is already tweeting out to the world the possibility of a sequel, then the chances of "Free Guy 2" being announced in the next month or two are high. If so, we could hear about a release date at that time, especially since Disney has a frequent habit of locking in release dates at least two years in advance. It's likely "Free Guy 2" will be set for a late 2023 or 2024 release date, with production set to happen in 2022.
Who is in the cast of Free Guy 2?
There's plenty of room for our "Free Guy" favorites to return for "Free Guy 2." By the time the credits roll in the first film, the characters played by Ryan Reynolds, JodieComer, Joe Keery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, andLil Rel Howery are still standing. As such, there's a very good chance that all of these big stars could reprise their roles in a sequel.
There is the additional possibility that new faces could join "Free Guy 2." With Millie (Comer)andKeys (Keery) now a couple in the real world, Guy (Reynolds) is back to living the single life. This opens the door for a new love interestto come into Guy's life, be it another NPC created by Millie and Keys or an avatar manned by a new human player.
When it comes to "Free Guy" cast members who likely will not be returning for the sequel, the most obvious answer is Taika Waititi. This is largely due to the fact that Waititi is booked solid with a plethora of projects that will keep him busy for the next few years. Those projects include (but are not limited to)working on a "Star Wars" movieand appearing in the upcoming TV comedy "Our Flag Means Death."There is also the fact that Waititi's odious "Free Guy" character, Antwan, met his match in Millie and Keys and was sent packing by the end of the movie. If anything, with Antwan out of the picture, the door is wide open for a new villain to enter the scene in "Free Guy 2." This means that, if a sequel ends up happening, 20th Century Studios could go on the hunt for a new A-lister to tackle the antagonist role.
What is the plot of Free Guy 2?
No official plot details for "Free Guy 2" have been revealed, despite the strong promise of a sequel being greenlit by Disney in the coming months. Based on the ending of "Free Guy", there seems to be plenty of room for this story to go off in new directions — mostly because the movie quite literally becomes a free, open-world game.
With Millie, Keys, and Mouser now overseeing their new company, which features the flagship game "Free Life," there is a fresh start in sight for all of the film's characters. While "Free Guy"ends on an optimistic note, this newfound freedom could lead to fresh problems in "Free Guy 2." A possible sequel could deal with coding problems in "Free Life" or any other issues that arise as Millie, Keys, and Mouser try to get their new company off the ground. The sequel could also introduce new NPC characters for Guy and Buddy to interact with or new avatars operated by real-world gamers with a variety of different motives. If there's a gamer looking to take over, that could spell trouble for Guy or the humans who oversee his game.
If "Free Guy 2" is officially announced, then we should get details about the movie's plot in the months immediately following the big news. As such, you should probably stick around, because we'll keep you updated on any and all "Free Guy 2" news as it emerges.
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