Following the success of their most recent collaboration Free Guy, audiences are now coming to expect the mixture of humor and heart that can be found in projects starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Shawn Levy (Real Steel). Even knowing their penchant for emotional storytelling, I wasn’t prepared for the wallop that comes with The Adam Project, a winning sci-fi comedy with a big, beating (and a slew of solid reviews) heart that finds a pilot (Reynolds) traveling back in time on a mission that teams him up with the pre-teen version of himself (played by Walker Scobell).
The movie doesn’t work if young Walker Scobell isn’t able to match the energy and sarcasm that comes with being Ryan Reynolds. Thankfully, he does an excellent job of playing a younger version of the pilot that Reynolds’ ends up becoming. There are times when Scobell is giving the exact type of performance that you’d expect from Reynolds in one of his signature roles. So when we got the chance to speak with Scobell during a press day for The Adam Project, we asked if Ryan fed him lines while they were on set, and he told us how one of the improvs became a very funny Deadpool reference:
I think the ‘Superhero Landing’ (joke) was – it might have been Shawn’s idea, but I think it might have been Ryan’s, too? I can’t remember. But the line, ‘Suppertime, Spanky!’ It was changed so much. There’s like so many alternate lines. It’s because Ryan would sit behind the camera, and then they’d do a take. Then Ryan would come and whisper in my ear another line. And then I’d do that one. And then we’d do that line back and forth until Shawn found one that he liked.
If you are going to have Ryan Reynolds as a scene partner in a movie like The Adam Project, then you would be wise to tap into his improvisational style and quick thinking brain. But it also takes an unusual skill set on Walker Scobell’s behalf to be able to process what Reynolds is giving him. Then again, the kid spent so much time memorizing Deadpool movies, he showed Reynolds that he can virtually relate them, scene for scene, in front of his superhero icon. Now that’s radical.
Our review for The Adam Project is up on the site now, and the movie reached Netflix on March 9. In my opinion, this one is a must-see for audiences of all ages, as it is one of the closest films, in tone, to the Amblin movies that a certain generation grew up with, and that often gets referenced in other Shawn Levy projects like Stranger Things (now entering its final seasons) or even Free Guy.
