Exclusive: Ryan Reynolds In Talks For Star Wars Movie
Ryan Reynolds may star in a Star Wars movie directed by Shawn Levy.
This article is more than 2 years old
Ryan Reynolds is in discussions with Disney for an upcoming Star Wars movie directed by Shawn Levy. According to our trusted and proven sources, the Red Notice star may reunite with Levy, with whom he has already worked on three movies and seems to have a pretty solid professional relationship. Lucasfilm has been pretty squirrelly about its upcoming projects and perhaps locking down a megastar like Ryan Reynolds might make the studio feel a little more secure about committing to a Star Wars feature film.
We have recently reported that Lucasfilm seems uncertain about the future of theatrical films set in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, so bringing a proven ringer like Ryan Reynolds to the Star Wars universe could potentially be a good idea. A number of Star Wars projects helmed by notable filmmakers like Patty Jenkins and Taika Waititi seem to be dead in the water, and the only movies in production are currently staying very hush-hush. On the other hand, a Ryan Reynolds Star Wars project could be just the kind of thing to build audience excitement.
More and more, it seems that Lucasfilm is relying on the Disney+ streaming platform for Star Wars content in the form of television shows. After The Mandalorian became a huge hit (and with Baby Yoda and Werner Herzog’s chemistry, how could it not?), the studio has gone full-tilt on The Book of Boba Fett, The Bad Batch, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte, and doubtlessly many more currently in the works. This makes sense, as even the most popular streaming shows do not have the cultural baggage and massive marketing costs of a theatrical movie.
The comparatively low box office grosses of The Rise of Skywalker (and possibly the negative reviews) seem to have spooked Lucasfilm about Star Wars movies, hence the increased dominance of streaming shows. At this point in his career, Ryan Reynolds is not particularly known for television series (the occasional odd Welsh football-oriented vanity project aside), but he is known for massive, enormously successful movies. If Ryan Reynolds is being wooed to join Star Wars, it feels unlikely he would come on board for anything but a high-profile movie.
It must also sweeten the pot for Ryan Reynolds that his buddy Shawn Levy is reported to be developing a Star Wars film. The two have already worked together on the video game action comedy Free Guy and the Netflix film The Adam Project, with the upcoming Deadpool 3 currently in production. Given their shared history, it feels like it would be a selling point for everyone involved to keep them together.
Aside from a potential Lucasfilm project, Ryan Reynolds is also keeping very busy. Deadpool 3 might be the single most anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe project coming up, especially given that it seems to be starring everyone in the world (except for Taylor Swift). He also has a holiday musical movie and a fantasy movie about imaginary friends, so it will remain to be seen whether Ryan Reynolds can squeeze a Star Wars film in there.
