'Free Guy' Could Be The Start Of A New Franchise, Director Shawn Levy Hints

Free Guy may have only just blasted its way into theaters, but director Shawn Levy already has one eye on the future of this potential franchise-to-be. The Ryan Reynolds-led movie riffs on video games and even some unbelievable studio notes while proudly carving out its own space as an original story amid this IP-saturated blockbuster landscape. These days, the question immediately turns to the possibility of sequels and spin-offs. Levy offers up a carefully measured answer in response.Free Guy follows the larger-than-life adventures of Reynolds' Guy, the painfully normal bank teller in Free City who essentially fills the same role as Emmet (Chris Pratt) in 2014's The Lego Movie, as he's swept away into a far bigger world by Molotovgirl (Jodie Comer), who also seems to be the Wyldstyle of this movie? I'm sensing a trend here. Anyway, we're steering well clear of spoilers but the idea that Free Guy could spawn a franchise of its own is one that the studio, Shawn Levy, and audiences are all interested in. Den of Geek is the latest outlet to ask the director this exact thing and he offers up the following reply:

"I'm a little superstitious. We have some really fun ideas for where Guy could go next. But I've also learned over the years, man, I'm going to make one thing as perfectly as I can. And then it's in the hands of the box office and cultural fates."

Levy has been through this song and dance before, having directed all three movies of the Night at the Museum trilogy as well as producing and directing many episodes of Netflix's Stranger Things. No director with as much experience as he has would make the mistake of getting ahead of themselves, so it makes sense that he's taking the cautiously optimistic approach with this one.

Planning Ahead

As he's mentioned before during this press tour, Levy remains proud of the fact that Free Guy is a wholly original blockbuster and he expresses his gratitude for being in a position that could eventually lead to more.

"Right now, we're trying to do something that is not done very often anymore, which is to release an original movie theatrically. People don't make these movies anymore. We got to make one, and we got to make it on our terms. And it turned out exactly as we'd hoped. That feels like a privilege. And hopefully people will show up in enough numbers that we get to talk about a sequel."

Shawn Levy might be hesitant to go on record as counting his chickens before they hatch, understandably, but we do know that the director has thought ahead to some extent. /Film previously attended an early press conference for Free Guy, where he admitted that he's prepared to follow up with a sequel if able to:

"I guess the short answer is yes. I've made things that launch franchises and I've made enough things to know that you just don't know the outcome. So yes, we have bandied about and flirted with some ideas."

All in all, the filmmaker has stayed very consistent in his messaging and has maintained a refreshing sense of humility.

Free Guy is now playing exclusively in theaters.