Shawn Levy’s video game-inspired blockbuster Free Guy may have only hit theaters on Friday, but it’s already gained a fully deserved reputation as one of 2021’s best big budget efforts. Smart, self-effacing, fun, fast-paced, action packed and heartwarming are just some of the superlatives to have been thrown at the Ryan Reynolds vehicle, with Rotten Tomatoes deeming it as one of the greatest action comedies ever made.
We’ll be avoiding spoiler territory for those that haven’t seen it, but Free Guy‘s narrative ends with everything tied up in a neat little bow that finishes the arcs of all the major characters, so a potential second installment doesn’t have an obvious jumping-off point. One of the recurring gags throughout the movie is that sequels, reboots and rehashes are always better than an original concept, and as you can see below, the irony hasn’t been lost on Reynolds when he revealed Disney want a sequel.
This marks the second time the Mouse House have moved to act quickly on a recent box office hit, after Dwayne Johnson confirmed he was holding talks over another Jungle Cruise just a week after the theme park adaptation came to theaters and Disney Plus Premier Access, proving that the company has no plans to stop amassing as many potentially lucrative properties as possible.
Reynolds has plenty of projects on his plate as it is without adding a second Free Guy, but the reviews and audience response has been enthusiastic enough to make it appear as though there’s definitely an audience for it, even if the key now is to avoid becoming hypocritical after heavily denigrating the prioritization of IP over originality the first time out.
