Spoiler Warning: Free Guy (2021)

Is the era of original blockbuster movies back?! Probably not... but Free Guy was a fantastic step in the right direction. The highly successful film that can now be seen on several different streaming sites has become one of the biggest surprise hits of the 21st century. Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy, an NPC in a video game that eventually develops into the first-ever fully-functioning A.I. who tries to help the game's original creator stop the business tycoon who stole it from her. The concept was highly original and has been praised by critics and audiences alike, not to mention being a huge box office success with an estimated $331 million earned worldwide.

Thanks to the first film's success, it's no wonder that Free Guy 2 is already in the works. After all, the film did break several pandemic records and did so as one of the first true original blockbuster films in recent years. However, some fans might be skeptical about a sequel as it's widely regarded that sophomore efforts never do as well as classic originals. With that in mind, the hype for Free Guy 2 should be sky-high as there are several reasons why the follow-up film could be just as good as its predecessor.

Already Surprised by the Original

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20th Century Studios

This might seem like a cop-out answer, but it doesn't make it any less true. As stated, Free Guy was one of the biggest surprises in recent years in terms of production value and a well-thought-out story for an original idea. We live in the era of reboots, remakes, and projects only getting greenlit if they're based on something that already exists. The movie was none of those things, and yet it still blew audiences away, a feeling a lot of movie-goers had forgotten even existed.

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The consensus among the people who have seen Free Guy was that they enjoyed the movie far more than they were planning, yet it turned out to be a complete home run. Keeping that in mind, it only makes sense that fans should be just as excited about the sequel because Ryan Reynolds and director, Shawn Levy, were already able to surprise us once, so there's no reason to think they couldn't do it again. Sure, the notion is that sequels never do as good, but we're also in the era where original blockbusters don't exist, and Free Guy had zero problems proving that trope wrong.

Stars Are Excited to Return

Ryan Reynolds and Lil Rel Howery in Free Guy, holding coffee and smiling.
20th Century Studios

The best part of Free Guy getting a sequel (and one of the most captivating parts of the plot) is that nobody died in the original. That might sound a little graphic, especially for a PG-13 movie, but in a world centered around a video game, it wouldn't have been that outlandish to assume that one of the other players or NPCs in the game would be kicking the virtual bucket. But since none of them did, the door is wide open for all the actors and actresses to reprise their roles in a sequel. The only possible exception could be Taika Waititi's character since his business tanked at the end of the film. The damage to his reputation was irreversible, meaning that a new villain will probably take the reins in a sequel.

RELATED: Jodie Comer Would 'Jump at the Chance' to Return for Free Guy 2

That said, Taika's character could still show up in a cameo appearance while in jail for the crimes committed in the first movie or even team up with Guy and Millie to take down whoever the new villain ends up being. Not only are the stars excited for a sequel, but director Shawn Levy has been confirmed to be returning as well. This is another good sign for the sequel since a change in directors is usually what can stall a sophomore attempt.

Won't Be Rushed

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20th Century Studios

Ryan Reynolds is the ultimate warrior of cinematic fan service, and we love him for it. The actor who nearly single-handedly made the Deadpool franchise happen has long advocated for making fans and the audience as happy as possible. That might mean making them laugh, making them cry, making them scream or making them do all three -- but in virtually every case, we did those things because it's what we wanted Reynolds to make us do.

That being said, despite how successful the original film has been and how quick the order for a sequel came, Reynolds has already reported that he and Levy will absolutely not rush the sequel just to turn the franchise into a cash-grab. In an era where studios jump on a successful project and milk it dry as quickly as they can, it's wonderful for fans to hear straight from the star of the film. Reynolds wants to make a good sequel, and that's exactly what he's prepared to give to his fans.