‘Adam Project’ First Look: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana & More Help Ryan Reynolds Confront His Younger Self

We’ve all dreamt of going back in time to talk to our younger self, but what about going back in time to get help from our younger self? That’s the concept of “The Adam Project,” a high-concept popcorn movie by director Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”) and Ryan Reynolds. The pair are becoming quite the team. After working together on “Free Guy,” they immediately went back at it with “The Adam Project,” a film about a man who travels back in time to get help from his younger self to confront their late father.

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There’s a pretty big cast involved too. Alongside Reynolds stars Jennifer Garner, Zoe Saldana, Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener, and newcomer Walker Scobell as Reynolds’ younger self. Garner plays Reynolds’ mother, and Ruffalo’s plays his estranged dad.

Vanity Fair has a first look at the film and plot details that expand the basic logline. For one, Reynolds plays a wounded time traveler from 2050 who has ventured into the past on a rogue rescue mission to search for Laura (Zoe Saldana), the woman he loves, who got lost in the time-space continuum under mysterious circumstances. When Adam’s ship gets damaged, he’s sent spiraling back to 2022 and eventually returns upon his home and his younger self.

Levy says don’t worry about comparisons to “Free Guy,” these characters and movies are very different. “This character is night-and-day different from the character Ryan played for me in our last movie,” he told Vanity Fair. “Blue Shirt Guy is a deeply innocent, naive boy in a man’s body. Whereas Adam Reed in “The Adam Project” is bruised by life and consequently deeply cynical.” Levy has admitted he’s had conversations about Reynolds and directing “Deadpool 3,” so who knows, this partnership could continue for the foreseeable future.

So, a family-friendly sci-fi drama? Possibly, Screenwriter Jonathan Tropper, who penned the novel, also wrote the screenplay for his 2014 family comedy “This Is Where I Leave You,” so he clearly has experience in this arena.

“The Adam Project” is scheduled to be released on Netflix on March 11, 2022. Check out the first look images from Vanity Fair below.