The Original Ending Of Free Guy Was A Lot Different

The recently released "Free Guy" has turned into a surprise success story, landing solid reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and stirring up rumors about a possible follow-up. The film's leading man, Ryan Reynolds, even took to Twitter to share that "Disney confirmed today that they officially want a sequel."

For anyone who hasn't yet seen "Free Guy," the story revolves around Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a mild-mannered bank teller who seems oddly at peace with the constant violence in his home of Free City. One day, after a seemingly routine bank robbery, he encounters a woman named Molotov Girl (Jodie Comer), who explains to him that his world is a videogame and that she is the avatar of a programmer named Millie. However, his world is at risk of destruction by the game's creator, Antwan (Taika Waititi), and Millie needs Guy to help her and her fellow programmer, Keys (Joe Keery), stop Antwan and save Free City.

The script for "Free Guy" has floated around Hollywood for years and underwent multiple revisions as it made its way to theaters. A recent interview with screenwriter Matt Lieberman revealed that many aspects of the original script made it into the final product — with one notable exception during the film's final moments. 

Here is how the original ending of "Free Guy" was different from what audiences saw.

In the ending of "Free Guy," Antwan is defeated, while Guy finds a new home in the game created by Millie and Keys. Once the new game is online and all of the characters are safely transferred over to it, Millie realizes that the code on which the game is based was a declaration of Keys' love, and the two embrace.

Writer Matt Lieberman told Collider that the first draft had some similar beats, but connected its characters in some very different ways. Lieberman explained, "In the original script, [Guy] ends up with Millie. They maintain their relationship into whatever the sequel will be."

The issue, it seems, was that once Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy were attached, no one could quite wrap their minds around Millie deciding to live as her video game alter ego, Molotov Girl, to stay with Guy. Lieberman said, "Nobody could really rationalize a person having an extended stay as bit and bytes." The writer continued, "We knew that audiences would just wanna know that he's gonna be okay and that he's happy, and I think they nailed it"

Considering the early talk of a sequel to "Free Guy," the ending that the filmmakers choose leaves plenty of places for Guy, Millie, and Keys to explore next. No matter what happens, it certainly will be interesting to see what could be in store for another outing.