Ryan Reynolds' upcoming movie with Shawn Levy needs to bring back the best thing about their 2022 sci-fi film The Adam Project that was missing from Deadpool & Wolverine. Reynolds' recent outing with both Levy and Hugh Jackman has been a major success, creating a fun and action-packed narrative to add to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though there are no updates on Deadpool & Wolverine 2, audiences who love this entertaining trio will be able to enjoy their combined storytelling abilities soon in a new, non-Marvel film.
Reynolds recently announced that he, Levy, and Jackman had agreed to work on a new project outside of Marvel's perview. Details on Reynolds' new movie script are still scarce, but Reynolds did hint that this would be a story for himself and that he would spend the next year writing it. While it is an exciting development, there is the worry that this will repeat their previous success, especially as Deadpool & Wolverine played more into Reynolds' established comedic presence. In order to avoid this, Reynolds' new movie needs to highlight his dramatic strength, much like The Adam Project did.
Ryan Reynold's Next Project With Shawn Levy Needs To Highlight His Dramatic Skills From The Adam Project
Reynolds' Other Projects With Levy Focused More On Comedy
Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy's next project needs to highlight Reynolds' abilities as a dramatic actor, which he showcased in The Adam Project, in order to create versatility in their stories. Reynolds and Levy have worked on three films together, but only The Adam Project truly showcased Reynolds' ability to tell a dramatic story. Free Guy and Deadpool & Wolverine had dramatic beats that Reynolds performed well and elevated each story overall, but those two movies were more comedy-focused, often undercutting those dramatic scenes.
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While this comedy first formula is often why Reynolds' movies are so popular, it also undercuts the fact that Reynolds can convincingly lead a dramatic narrative. His performance in The Adam Project, on the other hand, showed that he can tackle those roles as he balanced the loss and grief of his character with the consistent action. Reynolds' next film with Levy, then, should lean into those aspects from the sci-fi film as it would give them more avenues for narrative exploration. That exploration can easily be helped by Jackman, creating a strong parallel after Deadpool & Wolverine.
Hugh Jackman's Involvement Could Make a Dramatic Project Even Stronger After Deadpool & Wolverine
Jackman's Dramatic Talent Would Add To The Film's Story
Getting Jackman involved in his project with Levy would allow Reynold to make a strong dramatic film akin to The Adam Project after working with the two on Deadpool & Wolverine due to Jackman's own dramatic prowess. Though Jackman is well-known for his role as Wolverine, he has also starred and performed strongly in several dramatic films, such as The Prestige. His dramatic moments in his latest outing as Wolverine also speak to his talent, allowing him and Reynolds to maintain center stage around Deadpool & Wolverine's many cameos.
The Adam Project proved it could be done, so taking that template and pushing it would be a great thing to see from Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy in the future.
That same strong chemistry and dramatic talent could be combined in this next project, resulting in a story that lets Reynolds and Jackman expand their dynamic beyond comedy and action. This would also allow these three creatives a chance to play in a new genre, creating a fun, abrupt shift from what audiences expect that is still clearly in their wheelhouse. The Adam Project proved it could be done, so taking that template and pushing it would be a great thing to see from Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy in the future.
The Adam Project is a sci-fi action/comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a time-traveling pilot who accidentally arrives in the past and must work with his 12-year-old self to save the future. Adam Reed (Reynolds) heads back from his time in 2050 to save his wife in 2018. When things go awry, he crashes his time-traveling aircraft in 2022, where his 12-year-old self finds him. Chased into their timeline, they're attacked by the leader of the dystopian future and must escape their grasp and fight to change and save their future.
Director Shawn Levy
Release Date March 9, 2022
Distributor(s) Netflix
Writers Jennifer Flackett , T.S. Nowlin , Jonathan Tropper , Mark Levin