Shawn Levy is days away from the release of his gaming-themed comedy Free Guy, but he’s already looking to the future… and the past. His upcoming film The Adam Project is a sci-fi thriller about a man traveling back in time, and is itself a blast from the past for Levy.

In an interview with /Film, Levy spoke explained that the film’s tech-based premise and emotional themes harken back to some of his past work. He also hinted at the tone we can expect the film to set. Levy said:

“It’s actually more similar to Real Steel than it is to Free Guy. It’s a sci-fi premise for a very emotional character story. Once again, exploring themes of fathers and sons.”

The Adam Project stars Ryan Reynolds and sees him traveling back to team up with his pre-teen self (Walker Scobell), in search of their father, played by Mark Ruffalo. I for one remember seeing the casting announcement months ago that Ruffalo and Reynolds would be a father-son duo, and the context of time travel really helps smooth over that confusion. As Levy indicated, the film is sure to go into emotional territory. Levy added:

“It’s Ryan Reynolds coming back to enlist the help of his 12-year-old self and his father who he lost when he was young. So what if you could go back and tell your younger self you’re going to be okay? What if you could go back and understand your mom or your dad from the age that you are now? Those are the really interesting questions that [The] Adam Project explores, but with time travel and some sick-ass tech and big action.”

What To Expect From The Adam Project

Fans of Real Steel can rejoice, The Adam Project sounds very much in their wheelhouse. If you aren’t hip to Levy’s 2011 feature, the action-packed movie had its own fair share of “sick-ass tech.” The story followed a former boxer, played by Hugh Jackman, living in a world where human boxers were replaced by robots. The computer-controlled machines were glamorously retro and all the cooler when facing off in all their violent glory. Think Rocky with robots, plus some very sweet father-son bonding.

The Adam Project shares that relationship in common, but as Levy promises, it’s sure to be complicated by the sci-fi premise. Between dealing with his younger self and the emotions that resurface while confronting his late father, Reynolds’ character will have a lot to balance. Plus, the whole time-traveling to save the world plotline might weigh on him too.

We’re used to seeing Reynolds quippy and endlessly charming. When his characters do delve into their darkness, it’s usually shrouded in sarcasm and more biting humor. It’s hard to imagine that isn’t somewhat true of his character in this movie, but it sounds like some of his pain will be confronted head-on.

So The Adam Project is giving us a lot to look forward to: some serious emotion from Ryan Reynolds, plus all the action-heavy sci-fi we could need!

Previous versions of the script were penned by Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett, and T.S. Nowlin, and Warrior creator Jonathan Trooper will helm the rewrite. The film also stars Jennifer Garner, Zoe Saldana, Catherine Keener, and Alex Mallari Jr.

The release date of The Adam Project has yet to be announced, but Shawn Levy’s Free Guy hits theaters on August 13.

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