Ryan Reynolds is best known for playing Deadpool, but he also has a ton of other successful films under his belt, including Free Guy, which hit theaters earlier this year. Reynolds recently wrapped filming Spirited with Will Ferrell and announced he was taking a sabbatical from making movies. While the actor has plenty of already-filmed projects to look forward to like Red Notice and The Adam Project, he’s stepping away from filming anything new (at least until he starts production on Imaginary Friends next year). During a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Reynolds further explained his decision to take a moviemaking sabbatical.
“I’m just trying to create a little bit more space for my family [wife Blake Lively and their three daughters] and time with them,” Reynolds told The Hollywood Reporter at the Wall Street Journal Magazine Innovator Awards on Monday in New York City. “You know, you don’t really get that time back.”
Here’s what Reynolds initially wrote on Instagram after wrapping on Spirited:
“That’s a wrap for me on Spirited. Not sure I’d have been ready to say yes to a film this challenging even three years ago. Singing, dancing and playing in the sandbox with Will Ferrell made a whole lotta dreams come true. And this is my second film with the great @octaviaspencer… Perfect time for a little sabbatical from movie making. I’m gonna miss every second working with this obscenely gifted group of creators and artists. These days, kindness matters as much as talent. I’ve been lucky to work with folks who are flush with both,” Reynolds wrote.
Spirited is “a musical project based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.” Sean Anders and John Morris, who worked with Ferrell on the Daddy’s Home movies, are writing and directing the project. Ferrell’s Gloria Sanchez, Reynolds’ Maximum Effort, and Mosaic will produce. Collider previously reported that Reynolds will take on the part of an Ebenezer Scrooge-like character, putting him in the crosshairs of the various ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Ferrell is expected to play the Ghost of Christmas Present and Octavia Spencer is signed on to play Reynolds’ “good-natured co-worker.”
As for Reynolds’ other upcoming movies, the actor has already filmed Red Notice with Dwyane Johnson and Gal Gadot, and it’s hitting Netflix later this month. The Adam Project is being released on the streaming service next year. Reynolds will also be back with the inevitable Deadpool 3, which will hopefully happen sooner rather than later, and there’s been talk of a Free Guy sequel, so we’ll have a lot to look forward to when Reynolds returns to work.
How do you feel about Reynolds taking a little acting break? Tell us in the comments!