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20th Century Fox has acquired Free Guy, an action comedy by screenwriter Matt Lieberman. It’s in the vein of The Truman Show, where a bank teller stuck in his routine discovers he’s a background character in a realistic, open-world action-adventure video game and he is the only one capable of saving the world.

The project will be produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter from Berlanti Productions, and Madhouse Entertainment’s Adam Kolbrenner. Robyn Meisinger will executive produce for Madhouse. Mike Ireland is the Fox exec.

20th Century Fox has attached Ryan Reynolds to star in Free Guy, with Shawn Levy poised to direct the film. Berlanti Productions’ Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter are producing alongside Reynolds’ Maximum Effort, Levy’s 21 Laps, and Adam Kolbrenner. This will be part of the multi-year film deal that Berlanti signed with Fox, where Maximum Effort and 21 Laps also have deals.

Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy have found some more players for their video game-focused action-comedy Free Guy. Jodie Comer, who stars on the critically hailed BBC America show Killing Eve, will star opposite Reynolds, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Also joining the feature project in supporting roles are Lil Rel, who broke out with Get Out, and Stranger Things star Joe Keery.

Written by Matt Lieberman and picked up as a spec script in 2016, Free Guy centers on a background character who realizes he’s living in a video game. With the help of an avatar, he tries to prevent the makers of the game from shutting down his world.

Comer will play the avatar, whose name is Molotov Girl. In the real world, she is a mousy programmer who actually created the game but was devastated when it was stolen from her. Rel will play Reynolds' best friend and fellow Non-Playable Character who doesn't believe his friend's seemingly outlandish claims, and Keery will play a programmer who may or may not have a secret agenda.

Levy and Reynolds are producing the pic, as are Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. Adam Kolbrenner is also a producer. Reynolds will produce via his Maximum Effort label, while Levy will produce via 21 Laps. George Dewey is executive producing.

Taika Waititi and Utkarsh Ambudkar have joined the cast of 20th Century Fox and 21 Laps Entertainment’s action comedy Free Guy from director Shawn Levy. George Dewy of Maximum Effort and Dan Levine of 21 Laps serve as EPs. Mike Ireland is overseeing the project for 20th Century Fox.

Fox also solidified another 2020 bow, setting a July 3 release for the Ryan Reynolds-Shawn Levy team-up Free Guy.

While uncertainty abounds, other producers seem a firmer fit into Disney. Chernin seems secure; 21 Laps makes Disney-esque movies like Free Guy, the Ryan Reynolds-starrer that is expected to be a Disney tentpole for 2021.

the Ryan Reynolds-starring “Free Guy” moving from July 3 to December 11

The film was supposed to hit theaters on July 3, 2020, but of course, that didn’t happen due to the coronavirus. So Disney moved it to December 11, 2020 – and then pulled it from the release date calendar entirely. Now, it’s back, with a new date for 2021 – May 2, 2021, to be precise.