Credit: Spirited
Ryan Reynolds is back. Again. Following the rollercoaster of emotions regarding Deadpool 3, the latest feature from the actor sees him putting on his dancing shoes for his upcoming Christmas feature, Spirited. It’s the classic Charles Dickens story of the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future visiting a grumpy Scrooge aka Clint Briggs. The twist here is that the perspective is told from the ghosts, which are played by Will Ferrell. The feature is directed by Sean Anders (Daddy’s Home, Instant Family), with the writing credits going to Anders and John Morris.
We’ve seen Reynolds play many characters, but the actor isn’t particularly known for his dancing and singing. Speaking to Empire with Will Ferrell, Reynolds discusses the “nerve-racking” experience of taking part in the musical, “I don’t, before this, during, or after, profess to be a competent singer or dancer. I’m used to getting on a film set and kind of being able to figure it out at the moment. That’s not the case with a movie like this. You have to live, eat, breathe and sleep this routine. It was exciting, nerve-racking, and terrifying. I was actually so scared that I’d go full circle, back to brave. I don’t think I would ever do it again. But I genuinely loved it.”
Credit: Spirited
The only Christmas-themed feature Reynolds has done is Once Upon A Deadpool, a PG-13 version of the sequel to the original 2016 solo film. On the other hand, Will Ferrell is no stranger to Christmas films. The comedian’s iconic film is Elf, a 2003 picture about an Elf named Buddy, whose accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. He goes back to New York in search of his real father. Aiming to create another classic for the modern age, Spirited isn’t simply just a retelling of an old story but a new wrinkle that drew Ferrell into the upcoming feature, “To tell that kind of story was completely new to me and caught my eye. Also, with our willingness to call out the fact that a lot of versions of Scrooge have been made, that takes the curse off it slightly.”
Surprisingly, despite Ryan Reynolds’ name being in the news recently for the announcement of Hugh Jackman in Deadpool 3, this is the only theatrical release for the actor of 2022. Reynolds was in the positively reviewed film, The Adam Project, but that was a Netflix exclusive. This also marks the first film for Will Ferrell in 2022 as an actor as well. The veteran has been mainly doing behind-the-scenes work as a producer recently, with his most notable hit being the independent film Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
Credit: Spirited
The upcoming film also stars Octavia Spencer, Joe Tippett, Sunita Mani, and Aimee Carrero. The Christmas film will head to theaters first on November 11 and then drops on Apple TV+ on November 18. The trailer looks solid, and it’s great to have a talented cast leading the feature, though it doesn’t look anything particularly special. Of course, I could be wrong (hopefully I am), and Spirited may surprise everyone by turning out to be an unforgettable holiday movie that joins the ranks of films such as Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Nightmare Before Christmas or Die Hard. Spirited has some stiff competition on that weekend as the film will come out at the same time against the highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. Should more information come out about the Christmas feature, then we’ll keep you updated on the Ryan Reynolds vehicle following its release this weekend.
