Free Guy movie poster

Ryan Reynolds ‘Free Guy’ promises to be a fun and absurd movie but now the actor has made a big claim about the film. Not one to shy away from hyperbole, Reynolds is now saying the film will be “an updated version of Back to the Future for this generation.”

‘Free Guy’ takes what looks to be a non-playable character in an MMORPG who suddenly realizes that they are a character in a videogame. The AI powering Reynolds’ character has him realize that he wants to be something more and become a hero in this world.

Comicbook reported that at Brazil’s CCXP convention, Reynolds explained:

“When we first got this script, I remember Shawn and I had been wanting to work together for years, and we found this script. And to us, it felt like we really wanted to bring sort of an updated version of Back to the Future for this generation, and it really felt like Back to the Future. It was imbued with all of that same sort of wish fulfillment, action-adventure, little elements of sci-fi and supernatural, so for us, it felt really timely.”

The actor then chimed in on a complaint about the lack of originality in films:

“I mean, it’s not every day that you get to make a movie that isn’t based on a comic book, or based on a graphic novel, or based on anything. It was just an original idea that we got to take the ball and run with, and it was a dream come true. It’s my favorite film that I’ve ever done in my life, and I hope I get to make three or four more.”

A story that isn’t a reboot, remake, or based on an existing property on a scale like this one is a fun change of pace. With Reynolds as the lead, it is also an idea that should have a broad appeal as well.

Director Shawn Levy also chimed in that the film is “really about all these different characters becoming empowered and changing their lives” which is very much a concept that should resonate with today’s audiences.

Are you looking forward to checking out ‘Free Guy’ next year? Do you agree with Reynolds’ sentiments about the lack of original content coming out of Hollywood these days? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

‘Free Guy’ arrives in theaters on July 3, 2020.