Ryan Reynolds compares his upcoming movie, The Adam Project, to Spielbergian classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Back to the Future (1985). Since his last appearance as the Merc with a Mouth in 2018, Reynolds has continued to be one of Hollywood’s busiest actors. Following the success of Netflix’s Red Notice, the 45-year-old actor has reunited with Free Guy director Shawn Levy for The Adam Project.
Initially announced as Our Name Is Adam with Tom Cruise set to star, The Adam Project was acquired by Paramount Pictures over a decade ago. However, the project underwent a period of developmental hell before being revived by Netflix in 2020. Now, The Adam Project stars Reynolds as its titular character, a fighter pilot in 2050 who travels back to 2022 and befriends his younger self (Walker Scobell) to save the future. The film’s cast includes Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner as Adam’s parents, as well as Zoe Saldana and Catherine Keener. Filming for The Adam Project began in November in Vancouver of 2020 and wrapped the following March.
During an interview with Variety before a special screening in West Hollywood, Reynolds compared The Adam Project to ’80s science fiction films. In particular, he talked about how his film harkens back to the early years of Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Productions/Entertainment. This list of classics includes E.T., Back to the Future, and The Goonies. Read the full quote below:
“It felt like one of those big wish fulfillment movies with huge stakes and high concept, but it was really about something very personal as well, which is sort of what I loved about movies in the ‘80s — what I loved about ‘E.T.’ and ‘Back to the Future,’ and anything that [Steven Spielberg’s] Amblin did… ‘Goonies.’ It just felt like it sort of harkened back to that kind of filmmaking and in the period we live in right now, it felt timely…I always think of it like the Mary Pickford model, which is make them laugh, make them cry and then bring them back to laughter. If you can do that, you’ve made something worth watching.”
For context, Mary Pickford was a Canadian-American film actress/producer and one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As one of the most popular actresses of the 1910s and 1920s, dubbed the “Queen of the Movies,” Pickford helped define “Ingénue” cinema, which refers to female characters who are endearingly innocent. Following Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977)—which The Adam Project affectionately references—George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and their respective production companies seemingly perfected this “Mary Pickford model” with films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Back to the Future, and The Goonies.
We now find ourselves in the age of reboots, remakes, and adaptations—comic book or otherwise. Coming off of Free Guy, Reynolds and Levy were interested in finding another original story. In Variety’s interview, Reynolds went on to say, “we love IP, and we love superhero movies. We love all that stuff. But this was a special experience, and we really wanted to keep that train marching along.” The first impressions of The Adam Project imply the film adopts a winning formula and elevates it. Speaking of winning formulas, Reynolds will indeed don a red suit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While he insists Wade Wilson is not in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Deadpool 3 is currently in development at Marvel Studios. Until then, The Adam Project debuts on Netflix on March 11th.
Key Release Dates
The Adam Project
Release Date:2022-03-09
