Ryan Reynolds is famous for his instantly recognizable screen persona. The Canadian star has leaned into his public image as a wisecracking smartass in various hit movies in recent years, from the Deadpool films to Red Notice. But in his latest effort, high-concept sci-fi action/adventure The Adam Project, Reynolds will be stretching outside of his comfort zone a little and delivering a performance that’s just as likely to tug at your heartstrings as tickle your funny bone.
The Adam Project sees Reynolds unite with Shawn Levy, director of Disney’s Free Guy, another film that somewhat cast the actor out of type as an optimistic everyman. This time around, though, Levy really wanted to test Reynolds’ mettle and see what the star could do with some different material. While speaking to Total Film (via GamesRadar), Levy praised Reynolds’ turn in this as one of the finest of his career due to the level of “emotional authenticity” he brings to the table.
As Levy explained,
“When we signed up for a time-travel adventure, I’m not sure that either one of us knew it would become one of his greatest dramatic performances of his career. The amount of emotional authenticity he brings to this performance… we expect him to be a movie star, heroic and funny. But we don’t expect Ryan Reynolds to make us cry.”
While Red Notice, Reynolds’ last Netflix flick, was enormously popular, many critics blasted it for being formulaic. But it definitely sounds like The Adam Project will avoid falling into that trap and could turn out to be something special. As you might expect from Levy, also known as the producer of Stranger Things, it owes a lot to classic ’80s movies, with Reynolds comparing it to the likes of E.T. and Back to the Future. Early reactions are overwhelmingly positive, too, with reviewers particularly hyping up its big heart.
Also starring Zoe Saldana, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, and Catherine Keener, The Adam Project sees Reynolds travel back in time to the 1980s where he teams up with his younger self (Walker Scobell) to uncover the conspiracy behind his father’s disappearance. All the signs are pointing to this being another record-breaking blockbuster for Netflix, so don’t miss it when it makes its streaming debut on March 11.