Free Guy director Shawn Levy says he did not make a video game movie

Speaker 1: That actually hurt my hand. We can save our world, but we have to fight together. I know what's happening right now. We love Speaker 2: It with free guy. I got to create a movie and I got to create a video game. There is Speaker 3: No easy way to say this, this world, it's a video game. You're not Speaker 1: Real. We, Speaker 4: You, uh, you directed a movie about video games in a world where, uh, video game movies are often extremely [00:00:30] cringy and, and kind of tough for, uh, the core audience that you're trying to reach to really enjoy them. Free guy is not that it's, it's, it's, uh, honestly refreshing that it is kind of the opposite of that. What do youth think you did differently? Speaker 2: Well, it is, we made free guy knowing there was a legacy of disappointing video game movies. And so I think what we maybe did differently is first of all, we never really thought of ourselves as purely a video game movie. We wanted to make [00:01:00] just movie movie that happened to be set in and reflective of gaming culture. And so, uh, I think for starters, the fact that I, I kind of, I admitted up front what I knew and what I didn't know. And I surrounded myself in every department with people who were steeped in that language. And in that world, some of whom are on screen. We have many famous gamers who are in the movie and it helped to have them around and called when I was getting things right when I was getting things [00:01:30] wrong. Uh, but also in our visual effects department, in our camera department, there were a lot of hardcore gamers involved in making this movie. Speaker 2: Also, I did extensive research and pre-production and hung out with a lot of coders and game designers and publishers. And I think the other thing that was frankly, to my benefit, uh, and I say this with respect to video game movies, as people know I was gonna make the uncharted movie, uh, and, and then ultimately stepped away. But like in a way it's freeing [00:02:00] to not be beholden to a real game, right? If you're doing an adaptation, you can't screw that up. You have to be accurate to what people expect with free guy. I got to create a movie and I got to create a video game. So the only rules and the lore and the aesthetics and the kind of, you know, iconic aspects of the game were the ones that we came up with. So I'm not answering to a fan base. That's gonna cut my head off if I get it wrong. Speaker 4: [00:02:30] That's perfect. Uh, now in, in discussing, you know, kind of the, the game world and, and, you know, kind of all of the culture that goes around that you, uh, the movie touches on some fairly sensitive topics. There's, uh, more than a couple of references to kind of, uh, in fact, you, uh, there's at one point in which Tina Fey outwardly calls out, you know, toxic man babies. Uh, and then, uh, you know, there, there are a couple of references to, um, O obviously the, the core concept of the movie where, you know, uh, you know, indie groups are, are bought up by larger studios and, and kind of, um, you [00:03:00] know, consume sometimes, uh, good, sometimes bad. Uh, how, uh, how did you navigate kind of the best ways to approach some of those, uh, extremely sensitive topics? Speaker 2: Well, for one thing, I just wanna correct. One thing you said, uh, though Tina FA does have a voice cameo in the movie. I think you meant Jody comer. Oh, you're correct. You. Yeah. Who says, but now the world will know that Tina FA also part of this movie, so it's all good. Um, but, uh, I think early on Ryan and I had conversations, we [00:03:30] wanted the movie to be above and, you know, above all else, super entertaining, funny, big action and warm, warm hearted. We like it when there's some anchoring in the real world. And so, you know, especially if you can do it with humor. So we comment on gun violence in the movie, we comment on a culture that is obsessed with sequels and IP, and actually a, a culture in which it's harder and harder to even something [00:04:00] original like free guy. Um, and so, you know, it's just something that, while Ryan and I share a popcorn sensibility and we want to make movies for audience enjoyment, we also think that that enjoyment is heightened when it doesn't feel like it's in some reality disconnected from our own. So doing it with humor and self-awareness felt like the answer. Speaker 4: Cool. Uh, speaking of, of, uh, Ryan, he, and, and TA O I C T as I understand it from some of the other, uh, uh, comments [00:04:30] that you've made, uh, up until this point in, in the movie, they have a lot of, uh, opportunity to kind of be themselves and express themselves in really kind of unique ways. How as a director is, is that to navigate, like, how is that, uh, you know, how easy or challenging is that to let someone just kind of do, do what they do best on screen, uh, and kind of hope that it connects from point a to point B? Speaker 2: Well, I, I, I have spent pretty much, I mean, free guy was my 12th movie and I've spent my whole career very lucky because I've collaborated with a lot [00:05:00] of smart, agile, comedic minds. So two movies, you know, with Steve Martin and three movies with Ben Stiller, and, you know, Ricky's your bass and Robin Williams and Owen and Wilson and Steve gin, I mean, and Steve Corll and Tina Fey, like I like actors who are partners. I don't want actors who are gonna stand where I tell them and say the lines, I want a team it's lonely when you're not a team. It's awesome when you feel [00:05:30] like a team. So when my actors, when I cast them, I make clear that we're gonna do the script, but then we're gonna see what comes to us on the day. And when you have someone like all the actors I just mentioned, or recently Taika Karsh, Ryan, you know, these are very fast genius, comedic minds, and I'd be an idiot to keep those dogs on leash. So you just let those dogs run and it's even better when they are all writers in their own. Right. So they understand, oh, [00:06:00] I'm gonna go off road here, but I know what the scene needs to eventually achieve. And so they're riffing with some awareness of the movie and that always helps. Speaker 4: That's fantastic. Uh, now there's an enormous amount of Disney references, uh, in, in this film. Uh I'm uh, I'm wondering how many of them were kind of originally planned or, or were there opportunities to add more later on, uh, as, as kind of more resources became available to you? Speaker 2: [00:06:30] Well, our studio 20th century, Fox green lit this movie, and then right as we started making the movie right before we made the movie Disney bought Fox. And so Ryan and I talked about, well, wait a second. The movie is literally about a guy leveling up as he levels up, he has access to weaponry and stash houses and vehicles of his dreams. Well, what would someone really dream about? And the answer is, uh, you would dream about the iconic weapons [00:07:00] from some of the most iconic movies ever made. And wait a second, all those movies are owned by Disney. So we literally wrote like a, you know, a pleaser letter to Disney saying, could we use some of these iconic items in your toy chest? And to our thrilled Disney said, yes. And those were added as we were making the movie. Speaker 4: Great. Uh, now if, uh, I, I know you said earlier that you stepped away from uncharted and you really felt like this was a, a great [00:07:30] opportunity to kind of own the world that you're creating when you built free guy. Um, is there, you know, now that you've done this and you've seen, you know, what it is that you've been able to create your own world, does that, does that solidify your decision to step away from uncharted? Or do you think maybe at some point in the future you would consider something else, obviously not uncharted, but like some other existing IP where you're kind of, you know, creating this ship for, for other people to, to kind of experience through this, this weird shared vision. Speaker 2: You know, I would absolutely [00:08:00] stay open to taking on a franchise or IP that exists before I made it exist. And I think that when I see what, you know, JJ Abrams did with his star wars movies, when I see what Taika did with Thor and Ragner rock, I think it's clear that there is a way to put a singular stamp on a franchise title. It's not easy. And I'm sure a lot about the way the system works makes it extra challenging. [00:08:30] But yeah, I would never say never. And again, I was interested in uncharted cuz I love that Drake character and it's such a cinematic game to begin with. So I don't think I'd ever be the right guy for a hardcore game, play character light title. But if there's something in the protagonist, something in, in the character and what they're going through that compelled me, I would absolutely say sign me up. Speaker 4: Cool, Sean, thanks so much for talking me today. I really appreciate it. Thank you. My pleasure.