Free Guy 2: Director Shawn Levy explains why the sequel has yet to move forward

Last Updated on December 14, 2022

While Shawn Levy has his hands full with Stranger Things and Deadpool 3, and recently, he’s been working with Lucasfilm to helm a Star Wars film, another project from the director that’s gotten a lot of positive attention is last year’s Ryan Reynold’s video game-themed movie, Free Guy. And while not nearly as prolific as the other properties on his plate, the director is still given inquiries as to the state of the sequel.

According to Collider, Levy has explained that he’s not ready to rush out a sequel that’s not ready. “It’s still in development. I don’t know if it’s in the cards, but it is very much still in development. It’s something that Disney and Fox want badly. I really try to not make sequels that don’t deserve to be. And it’s why I didn’t move forward with the Real Steel sequel because I didn’t feel we had a second movie that could match or top the first. I’m holding Free Guy to that same standard. We are still hearing ideas, developing ideas, expounding on ideas. But I would say that in the time that’s passed since Free Guy came out, the love for that movie has become more and more clear to Ryan and I, anecdotally, on sidewalks, in the press. So we’re not going to mess with a good thing unless we can make a great thing.“

And while Levy is no stranger to franchise filmmaking with his Night at the Museum films and upcoming Disney+ show, the Stranger Things director speaks about his feelings on sequels in general, “Sequels are really hard to make great. It’s why we all look to a [Terminator 2] or an Empire Strikes Back as high watermarks and frankly as unicorns. It’s really, really hard. And again, I made three Night at the Museums. One reason that I cast each one of them at such a stratospheric level, with comedic stars and comedic geniuses, is I wanted to make sure that they could be unique. But it’s a really tough balance. And we’re obviously very much exploring this with ‘Deadpool,’ is how do you honor what got you to that moment? How do you honor what people love without regurgitating what people love? It’s the right balance, and it’s challenging as hell.”