Shawn Levy has an special ability to make big Hollywood movies that… have famous people in them, whether it’s Ben Stiller, Tina Fey and Steve Carell, or his new muse Ryan Reynolds. That’s about the only unifying quality we can come up with about his oeuvre, which includes films like video game satire Free Guy, wacky kid-friendly romp Night At The Museum, and family dramedy This Is Where I Leave You, all of which clearly bear the hallmarks of a classic Shawn Levy joint… in the sense that they have famous people in them?
We can’t quite define what makes a Shawn Levy movie a Shawn Levy movie, but Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy apparently can—which is good, since she brought him onboard to make a secret Star Wars movie last year. According to Levy, who talked to Variety about how his career is going in a recent piece, Kennedy’s one “central mandate” on his Star Wars movie was that it had to be “a Shawn Levy movie.” He says she told him, “I want a story and a tone that reflects you and your taste and what you bring to your movies—with a Star Wars story.”
So what does that mean? Ryan Reynolds as a Jedi? He’s a mannequin in the Jedi museum, and when Jedi Master B’n Stellar comes in at night, all of the displays come to life? And then it somehow makes $10 billion overnight?
Either way, Levy says Kennedy’s “be yourself” edict has made him feel “extremely empowered” and able to trust his instincts. He says that’s also how he feels with his (recently delayed) Deadpool 3, with Marvel Studios giving him enough freedom that he says he can make a “personal” movie even in that big universe. And hey, maybe he’s right. His Star Wars movie is far off, and we don’t really know when Deadpool 3 is going to come out, but if they’re good then we’ll know that Disney was right to let him do whatever he wants on these movies.
