Video game movies are notoriously difficult to get right, with many, many more misses than hits. Think monumental failures such as Alone in The Dark, Street Fighter and House of The Dead. Quite remarkably, a quick look at Rotten Tomatoes shows that not a single adaptation of a game has registered a fresh rating (the Dwayne Johnson-starring Rampage comes closest, with an almost respectable 53%). Yet an original film written by Matt Lieberman, and inspired by open-world games such as the GTA series, looks to change all that.
Actor Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy are on-board for the project, entitled Free Guy, which sees Reynolds playing a bank teller who suddenly realises that he is a background character in a ruthless action-adventure game. No date has been set for shooting, with Reynolds’ next projects including Michael Bay’s 6 Underground and voicing the lead role in another game adaptation, Detective Pikachu.
Ryan Reynolds is a hot property in Hollywood now thanks to the monumental success of the Deadpool franchise, grossing over $1.5 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Let’s hope he brings some of the iconic Deadpool wit to this adaptation, possibly giving video game movies their first big-budget hit.
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