Free Guy is a movie that could have easily been crammed full of Easter Eggs, but we ultimately get just a handful (and they don't come until the final act when Guy squares off with Dude). We've already told you about arguably the best cameo in the entire movie, but we very nearly got a big Deadpool 2 nod.
Talking to IndieWire, Free Guy director Shawn Levy explained why it was important to the team working on the movie not to get too wrapped up in referencing other big IPs.
"The guiding principle of the movie was that in order to differentiate ourselves from 'The LEGO Movie' and 'Ready Player One,' we couldn’t have a preponderance of pop culture references. We wanted to wait and only in the third act were we going to have some fun," the filmmaker explained before adding: "Initially, there was talk of having Guy use Cable’s gun."
"But we actually liked the idea that this good guy character who never fires a gun in the whole movie. Then we noticed that our new owners were Disney, which has arguably the greatest toy chest in the history of the movie business, and we wrote them an email. I literally wrote them: 'Dear Disney, this is Shawn and Ryan. We’re making ‘Free Guy.’ Can we use some of your toys?'"
This led to a couple of big Marvel and Star Wars nods near the end of the movie, but they happen in a way that is genuinely hilarious rather than being shoehorned in for a bit of cross-promotion between franchises.
In our review of Free Guy, we concluded by saying: "Hilarious, heartwarming, and action-packed, Free Guy is everything a video game movie should be, and sees Ryan Reynolds deliver one of his finest comedic performances in a blockbuster best played on the big screen."
Oh, and for those of you disappointed that this Deadpool Easter Egg didn't make the cut, look closely and you'll see a poster referencing the Merc with the Mouth in a gamer's bedroom!