Once again, the fans at CCXP proved that they are the world’s most passionate fans as they erupted with off-the-charts applause when Free Guy director Shawn Levy and actors Ryan Reynolds and Joe Keery took the stage to talk about the 20th Century Fox action-comedy about bank teller who realizes he is a background character in an open-world video game called Free City where has been robbed every single day for 27 days.
Levy was excited to share the original film written by Matt Lieberman which has been under-the-radar for many — specifically for Brazil. He refers to it as a superhero origin story except without the tights, powers or pre-existing IP. Even though the movie travels between the video game and real world, Levy said, “It’s not just spectacle — it’s very much connected to the characters. It’s the rise of an idealist in a world that is very cynical and dark.”
Reynolds, who plays the titular Guy and produces alongside Levy under his Maximum Effort banner, calls the film “a modern-day Back to the Future for this generation” and shares Levy’s excitement. In fact, he puts this at the top of his list when it comes to his history of films.
“Free Guy is the best experience I ever had,” he admits. He adds that he loves Deadpool, but feels something particularly special about working on this film.
To add to that, Keery says he loved playing the character of Keys, who works at the video game company. “He’s a character with a beautiful arc,” he said. “He is on the sidelines not actively living their life.” He adds that the movie is about taking control of your life and getting what you want. “It’s a great sentiment to walk away with.”
Levy then shared two clips from the film featuring Jodie Comer, serving some super-spy video game realness as Molotov Girl, who is able to go in and out of the video game. The first had Reynolds and her navigating the video game world, while the second had her with Keery. Afterwards, Levy decided to surprise the audience with the very first trailer for the film — which received a massive standing ovation.
Watch the trailer below and give it your own standing ovation.