Free Guy 2 Can Give Ryan Reynolds A Better Disney Franchise Than Deadpool

Though Free Guy 2 has yet to be confirmed, it would arguably be a better Disney franchise for Ryan Reynolds than Deadpool. Over the summer, Free Guy proved to be a huge success despite a decrease in in-theater attendance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the movie offered a refreshing take on what constitutes a Hollywood movie franchise. Looking towards the future, this could be creatively advantageous for Reynolds.

What’s significant is that Free Guy was a wholly original idea. The story of Guy’s ascent from a non-playable character in an open-world video game to a full-on hero wasn’t a remake, reboot, or adaptation (all of which are major commodities for studios). Furthermore, the perfect blend of high-action sequences and slapstick comedy was reminiscent of Reynolds’ other action movie franchises, like Deadpool, which is why Disney is right to make Free Guy 2. This is cinematic territory in which Reynolds excels and that his fans love to watch.

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As refreshing as Deadpool was when it first came out, Free Guy 2 is the better prospective Disney franchise for Reynolds precisely because Free Guy stood entirely on its own. Indeed, all of the film’s narrative threads were completely tied up at the end. While the door to explore more stories in Free City was certainly left ajar, there wasn’t an overly grand gesture towards the intention of sequels. This ultimately positions Free Guy 2 in a place where it can build a unique IP, which unfortunately cannot be said of Deadpool. As exciting as it is that the fourth-wall-breaking superhero will officially be joining the MCU in Deadpool 3 and expanding his narrative in turn, he will essentially be part of a larger, heavily interconnected narrative and must therefore play by MCU rules.

The foundational element of Deadpool‘s initial luster was that it spotlighted a more mature perspective on the Marvel Comics movie adaptation. This isn’t, of course, to say that it was the first comic book film to receive an R-rating. However, it’s significant that, at the height of incredibly successful Marvel superhero franchises that arguably softened their comic book origins, Deadpool dared to bring to the screen grittier, more violent, and more adult themes. As a result, Deadpool was singular in its approach to the comic book film and its characterization of the superhero. It’s a positive sign that Deadpool 3 will be an R-rated MCU movie, so the spirit of his standalone films will be present. However, the concern now is that Deadpool is effectively one of many MCU heroes franchises. Indeed, with the current slate of MCU films in production and the reports of numerous Disney+ series in development, there’s the risk of the superhero narrative running stale.

Above all, Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 will have a more difficult time separating himself from the MCU fray again. All of his solo adventures will have to contend with larger, overarching MCU themes at any given point. In fact, this interconnectivity is arguably one of the MCU’s greatest weaknesses at the moment. New releases aren’t given the space to breathe on their own; instead, they oftentimes sacrifice answering their own narrative questions in favor of laying the groundwork for future releases. This is why Free Guy‘s insulated narrative is definitive proof that Hollywood’s franchise approach is wrong. Like DeadpoolFree Guy is singular in that it is a blockbuster film that doesn’t eclipse its own individual value in order to establish itself as a franchise. It offered a completely satisfying ending while leaving room for more. Now, the beauty is that Free Guy 2 is free to go wherever it wants, ultimately giving Reynolds unequivocal narrative freedom.

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