Ryan Reynolds is set to star in the upcoming comedy movie Boy Band for Paramount, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The longtime A-list leading man will serve as a producer, via his Paramount-based banner Maximum Effort, for the film, which he co-wrote with Jesse Andrews, best know for penning the novel and the feature-film adaption of Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015).
Reynolds’ frequent collaborator Shawn Levy is also onboard as a producer, through his 21 Laps Entertainment, and is said to be interested in directing the movie, but the schedule of the shoot will be a determining factor.
Levy is already slated to be heading into production on Deadpool 3 soon, with Reynolds reprising his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool, in a cast that will also include Hugh Jackman — who is back in the comic-book sphere as Wolverine — and The Crown‘s Emma Corrin.
The Reynolds and Levy duo have worked together on several other films over the years, including Free Guy (2021) and The Adam Project (2022), both of which the filmmaker served as director and producer on.
New role: Ryan Reynolds, 46, has signed on to star and produce the comedy film Boy Band, according to The Hollywood Reporter; he is pictured in Santa Monica in December 2022
With pre-production already underway for Deadpool 3, and the shoot set for London in May, Reynolds is hoping to schedule the shoot for Boy Band in the fall of 2023 or early 2024.
The details of the story are being kept under wraps, but THR has described it as a boy band reunion movie.
The reunion of musical acts from the late 1990s or early 2000s has proven to be viable subject matter following the success of the comedy series Girls5eva that ran on Peacock for two seasons and is now set for a third season on Netflix.
It’s also unclear what role Reynolds would take on, but he has showed off his singing and dancing chops in the Apple Christmas musical comedy Spirited (2022), which also starred Will Ferrell.
Reynolds has been on a non-stop work pace over the last couple of years, starring in the action–comedy films Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Red Notice and Free Guy in 2021.
This past year he had lead roles in the science fiction action–comedy film The Adam Project and Spirited, to go along with a cameo in the action–comedy Bullet Train.
For his next role, Reynolds is starring in IF, a fantasy comedy film that also stars John Krasinski, who serves as the writer, director and co-producer.
The ensemble cast for IF, which was shot late last summer and fall, also includes Steve Carell, Cailey Fleming, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Louis Gossett Jr., Bobby Moynihan and Alan Kim.
Originally scheduled to drop on November 17, 2023, IF is now scheduled to be released in theaters by Paramount Pictures on May 24, 2024.
Frequent team: Band Boy is another production that includes Reynolds’ frequent collaborator Shawn Levy, who is serving as producer and could be in the running as director
Upcoming role: Reynolds and Levy are also teaming up for Deadpool 3, which Levy will be at the helm as the director; The leading man has scored two hits with Deadpool and its sequel
Successful team: The Reynolds and Levy duo also worked side-by-side in the film Free Guy (2021), alongside Jodie Comer
In demand: Reynolds and Levy duo worked together on The Adam Project (2022), that also starred young actor Walker Scobell
Reynolds, a native of Vancouver, made his acting debut in the teen drama series Fifteen in 1990.
Just over two years later, he made his feature film debut by playing an orphan raised in India, who is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to go on a hunger strike in a small town in Canada, in Ordinary Magic (1993).
He went on venture into leading man status in the comedy film Van Wilder (2002), alongside Kal Penn, Tara Reid, Tim Matheson and Paul Gleason.
Reynolds has since gone on to become one of Hollywood’s top A-list actors with such films as The Amityville Horror (2005), Just Friends (2005), The Proposal (2009), Green Lantern (2011), Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018).
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