After several false starts, Deadpool finally made Ryan Reynolds the A-lister everyone expected him to be. And given Deadpool’s success, it also made him a producer with clout overnight. That has given him the power to do things like set up a Clue remake and, now, he’s producing a movie called Stoned Alone. It’s a riff on Home Alone, with a stoner who stays home after missing a flight and then gets paranoid when he thinks people are breaking into his house. Turns out people actually are breaking into his house, and then, I suppose, the stoner goes Kevin McAllister on the thieves’ asses.
Pre-Deadpool this is the kind of comedy we would expect Ryan Reynolds to star in, but it doesn’t sound like he will be doing double-duty. This is just Ryan Reynolds: Producer flexing and expanding his brand as a behind-the-camera player. Like Clue, Stoned Alone is being set up at Fox, and like Clue, I wonder how this fits into the soon-to-be-Disneyfied version of Fox. So far Disney’s only commitment to the current Fox structure is to keep Searchlight, the indie arm, running as-is, which makes sense as Disney used to own Miramax. They’re not unfamiliar with managing an indie house (and Searchlight is considerably less baggage than Miramax ever was). But we don’t know how stuff like Stoned Alone will fit in once Disney takes over. I continue to look at projects like this somewhat fatalistically.
But right now, it’s a good move for Reynolds. He’s not going to be Deadpool forever, and it’s a good call to start producing movies outside the superhero strain, both to parlay his Deadpool popularity into more general audience affection, and to prove his value to studios beyond the supersuit. Also, the director is a woman, the dazzlingly named Augustine Frizzell, whose feature film debut, Never Goin’ Back, is due next month. It will be interesting to see, as Reynolds continues to build his power-producer resume, if he uses the position to contribute to a more inclusive, equitable, and safe environment in the industry.
Stoned Alone kind of sounds like it should be a digital short on SNL starring Pete Davidson, but if Reynolds can turn out a non-superhero R-rated hit, he could level up to the actor-producer ranks of Mark Wahlberg and Leonardo DiCaprio, only likeable. Assuming, that is, Disney doesn’t wreck Fox’s slate when they take over next year.
Here's Ryan at Comic-Con on the weekend.
