Free Guy
Free Guy is a 2021 American action comedy film directed and produced by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Joe Keery, and Taika Waititi. It tells the story of a bank teller who discovers that he is a non-player character in a massively multiplayer online game who then partners with a player to find evidence that a gaming company's CEO stole the player's game's source code. Lieberman began writing the script in 2016, which was acquired by 20th Century Fox shortly after. Levy passed on the script, but reconsidered after Hugh Jackman introduced him to Reynolds, resulting in him leaving the film adaptation of the Uncharted video game he had been developing. The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney made Free Guy one of the first films produced by 20th Century to continue its production under Disney's ownership. Filming took place in Massachusetts and California between May and July 2019. After the film was delayed two times by the COVID-19 pandemic, it premiered at the 74th Locarno Film Festival on August 10, 2021, and was released theatrically in the United States three days later on August 13 in RealD 3D, IMAX, 4DX and Dolby Cinema formats by 20th Century Studios. It grossed $331.5 million worldwide. The film received generally positive reviews from critics for the concept, comparing it to science fiction films and action video games such as Ready Player One, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Grand Theft Auto, The Lego Movie, and Fortnite. The film received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards.
I can't die! I'm never gonna die! Whoo! And that was the heartbreaking story of Blue Shirt Guy. The end. - Doesn't make sense. - What? I just checked the server stats. We killed Blue Shirt and the number of players online didn't change. It's just a glitch, man. - It's not a big deal. - I know, I know. It just seems like that's something new, you know? Keys, I know what you're thinking, okay? You should not talk to Antwan. I just think it's important to be transparent, okay? Uh-uh. No. Antwan is deep in the sequel launch. He's either not gonna care or he's gonna get pissed and then he's gonna blame us. So, I don't know what you haven't figured out about the whole situation. Also, aren't you some kinda MIT genius, indie game designer? What are you doing down here dealing with complaints? That, Mouser, is a long and pathetic story involving failed dreams, desperation, and a mountain of college debt. You do not wanna hear about that.
Free Guy
I mean, Life Itself, it's essentially a fishbowl game. People aren't playing it, they're watching it grow. It's a strictly observational experience where computer generated characters interact and evolve. I thought we'd be lucky to give it away. That's what's so charming about Keys, he's clueless about his own genius. Uh, no, Millie is the genius. Uh, she built the AI engine from the ground up. So, to get a little personal, what's the thing that gets you up in the morning? Medium coffee, cream, two sugars.
Free Guy
What's the other thing? Oh, yeah. An insatiable thirst for validation. - She's not kidding. - I'm not. How about you? - Code. - Code? - Code. - Code, yeah. There we go. 'Cause it's not just zeros and ones, it's hidden messages. I like to think of myself, actually, as not a code writer, but an author. I just use zeros and ones instead of words 'cause words will let you down. But zeros and ones, never. Zeros and ones are as cool as shit. - He's not kidding. - I'm not. Now, I've gotta ask. There is a lot of chemistry between the two of you. - Has this evolved into more than-- - No. - No way. No. It's strictly platonic. - No, no, no. We're friends. - We're like best friends. - Friendship. And now your game is gonna be released by Soonami, one of the biggest publishers in the world. - It's crazy, actually. - It is, yeah. It does seem a little bit like an unlikely pairing, though.
Free Guy
Yeah, I didn't totally get it either. But Millie's got a real instinct for these things. Antwan is a genius. He's brash and obnoxious, but he's really good at what he does. It's a chance for our work to be seen by a wider audience. - God, those two were young and dumb. - Jeez. So we're breaking and entering now?
Free Guy
How does it feel working for a galactic black hole of frozen shit? You have to leave. I can't talk to you. Aw, shame will have that effect. No, Millie. I mean I can't talk to you. I can't even see you. I'm literally focusing on background objects because looking at your lips move violates my NDA and it could get me fired. Aw, fired by Antwan, the guy who stole our work? No, he bought it and then he shelved it. All right? You're living in the past. You are stuck. You gotta move on. How can I move on? How can you? Antwan swiped our AI engine to use in his dumb shooter. Did he, Millie? Because, honestly, I'm not so sure. Our game was complex and beautiful and interesting. And Free City, it may be popular but it's so idiotic, it makes me wanna cry. Then stop defending him and help me beat his ass. - Millie, I'm-- - Come on, Keys, he stole from us.
Free Guy