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'The Adam Project' gives Ryan Reynolds a lightsaber... again
Director Shawn Levy famously gave Reynolds a lightsaber in their last collaboration, Free Guy, and it basically happens again in their new Netflix movie.
The Adam Project marks the second time that Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy have teamed up to make a big genre movie that’s not based on a pre-existing property, which is something of a rarity in an era where franchises rule the box office. And yet, in both The Adam Project and Free Guy, Reynolds’ character manages to get his hands on a lightsaber, the iconic weapon from one of the biggest IPs of all time, Star Wars.
So, what gives? Is Reynolds just that strong with the Force?
“I’m a Star Wars geek, like pretty much everyone in my generation, and I will wear that badge proudly,” Levy admits to SYFY WIRE.
To be fair, the moments are a little different. In Free Guy, Reynolds’ character, Guy, is on the receiving end of a beat-down while facing off against a hulking foe. Suddenly, he turns the tables by whipping out Captain America’s shield and follows it up by igniting a lightsaber with all the classic Star Wars sound effects.
In The Adam Project, Reynolds plays Adam Reed, a pilot from the future who travels back in time against orders and encounters his past self in child form (Walker Scobell) while trying to save his time-stranded wife (Zoe Saldaña). When goons from the future try to take out Adam, he fends them off using an electro-staff sort of weapon that his younger self keeps insisting is a lightsaber.
“In my zeal to not be sued, I want to point out that there is no lightsaber in The Adam Project,” Levy tells SYFY WIRE with a laugh. Free Guy’s lightsaber moment — which was either fist-pumpingly awesome or a profoundly depressing bit of IP referencing, take your pick — was made possible through corporate synergy, as Disney owns the MCU and Star Wars, while The Adam Project is a Netflix film. That means that Reynolds isn't actually holding a lightsaber this time around, according to Levy.
"There is an actual literal lightsaber in Free Guy. There are many lightsaber jokes in The Adam Project,” Levy continues, wryly. “Trust me, I spent many an hour with my VFX geniuses designing Ryan Reynolds’ weapon so it would very obviously not be a lightsaber.”
Hmmm… fair enough. But if there’s anything even resembling a lightsaber in Levy’s next movie, that’s enough to call this a trend.
The Adam Project is now streaming on Netflix.
