Where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday Ryan Reynolds was riding the wave of success that was the video game-themed movie Free Guy. Has it been a year already? It definitely has.
Reynolds, who is understandably good at self-promotion, revealed the milestone on Twitter with a fun little photo from the movie. Ever the tongue in cheek jokester, he also provided a clever caption with his tweet.
“*CELEBRATORY NOISES* “Insert perfunctory sentence about #FreeGuy one year anniversary here.”
If you’re unsure what the word perfunctory means, not to worry. It means something carried out with minimum effort or reflection.
Free Guy was a surprise smash hit for Disney when it came out last year. It was the company’s first theatrical release after the pandemic, and the film topped the box office for two weeks straight. It made upwards of $330 million on a $100 million budget.
Reynolds plays a bank teller non-playable character (NPC) in a multiplayer video game who realizes he can rewrite his own destiny. Script writer Matt Lieberman previously revealed that Reynolds had a part in shaping the main character that would end up being so beloved by everyone.
“I would never in a million years dream that Ryan Reynolds would be Guy. I love Ryan, and once he got on board, the script went from just being in development to 100 miles per hour. I did a pass on the script with him, exchanging pages back and forth. He is a great writer. He is a smart producer. He was looking at things as a writer, as an actor, as the guy who has to go out and sell all these lines and these scenes. His biggest note was, in the original script Guy was a cynical character. He started in a cynical place. “Why do we put up with this?” And he was like, “Guy should be happy where he is.” It really gave the character a much bigger arc. A further place to go. He had a lot of great ideas. It wasn’t just that.”
Free Guy is currently streaming on Disney Plus.
