In the midst of dominating the movie conversation with Marvel Studios‘ only film of 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine, yet another intriguing Ryan Reynolds project has secured a release date. A new report from Variety revealed that Animal Friends, described as an R-rated road trip adventure that combines live-action and animation, will officially be released on August 15, 2025. Reynolds will star in the film alongside Aubrey Plaza, Jason Momoa, Dan Levy, Lil Rel Howery, Addison Rae, and Ellie Bamber. Kevin Burrow and Matt Milder penned the script, and Emmy-award winner Peter Atencio will direct. Reynolds‘ production company, Maximum Effort, and Namit Malhotra‘s Prime Focus Studios are set to produce.
This is a big year for Reynolds, who will make his MCU debut as the Merc with a Mouth alongside Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. He is also set to appear in IF (Imaginary Friend), a family drama/comedy starring himself, John Krasinski, Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Sam Rockwell. Reynolds is well-known for being a lovable Hollywood figure, cultivating relationships and cameoing/starring alongside Chris Evans, Will Ferrell, Dwayne Johnson, Brad Pitt, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. You can count us in for an animated/live-action R-rated road trip adventure with Reynolds, Plaza, Momoa, and Levy.
What Else Does the ‘Animal Friends’ Cast Have Going On?
Outside of Deadpool & Wolverine and IF, which are both slated to release this summer, Reynolds has a slew of projects already confirmed to be in development. He will reprise his role as Nolan Booth alongside Johnson and Gal Gadot in Red Notice 2, and is also reportedly working on sequels for Free Guy and Detective Pikachu. Momoa, who recently starred in two top-15 box office hits in 2023 with Fast X and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, is set to star in an upcoming Minecraft movie alongside Jack Black, Kate McKinnon, and Jennifer Coolidge.
Plaza, who received an Emmy nomination in 2023 for her role as Harper Spiller in The White Lotus, is set to star in Marvel Studios‘ upcoming Agatha series on Disney+, and will also appear in Francis Ford Coppola‘s Megalopolis with Giancarlo Esposito and Shia LaBeouf. Levy, a four-time Emmy winner best known for his work on Schitt’s Creek, will co-write the upcoming comedy series, Standing By, which he’ll also star in alongside David Tennant and Glenn Close.
Animal Friends will arrive exclusively in theaters on August 15, 2025, and Reynolds will appear in IF and Deadpool & Wolverine over the coming months. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
via Collider