Ryan Reynolds and his Maximum Effort Productions have signed a three-year first-look development deal with Paramount Pictures.
The move reteams the indefatigable actor with many of the key executives that formerly ran 20th Century Fox, Reynolds’ home studio of not just his previous deal but also the Deadpool movies that trampolined the actor to new heights of stardom.
Reynolds launched the banner in 2018 with George Dewey, a former exec in Fox’s digital theatrical marketing division.
No projects were announced, but the deal covers motion picture development for all Maximum Efforts projects, at all budget levels.
“Ryan is 100 percent committed to entertaining the audience and works tirelessly to do so,” said Emma Watts, Paramount’s motion picture group president, in a statement. “:His company is aptly named, and I’m thrilled to have Maximum Effort in the Paramount fold.”
Enthused Reynolds: “We are so happy the next chapter of Maximum Effort will be written at Paramount. The Deadpool movies would never have happened without Jim Gianopulos and Emma Watts and personally, I’ve come to rely on Emma’s incredible insights and instincts. Moviegoing deserves a comeback, and we’re excited to help make it happen with Jim, Emma and the rest of the Paramount team.”
Reynolds and Maximum Effort next have Free Guy, the long-awaited video game adventure made by Fox that Disney, after several delays due to the pandemic, will release Aug. 13. Maximum Effort recently wrapped production on The Adam Project, a time-travel action movie for Netflix in which Reynolds also stars.
