Articles
Ryan Reynolds’ New Movie for Netflix Is Officially His Biggest Acting Challenge in a Decade
Ryan Reynolds is one of Hollywood’s more charming actors, and as a result, he’s often in the role of a similarly charming heroic or, at worst, anti-hero lead. That won’t be the case in his next project, which is shaping up to be his biggest acting challenge in a decade, and the anticipated project will be coming from the biggest streamer in the game, Netflix.
Today it was reported by Variety that Reynolds will be starring opposite newcomer Mae Schenk in the new Netflix film Eloise, which is based on the hit children’s book from author Kay Thompson and artist Hilary Knight. Schenk will be playing the role of Eloise, and Reynolds will be taking on his biggest acting challenge since his amazing performance in Mississippi Grind as the film’s antagonist in a role described as an “original villainous character.”
Reynolds hasn’t played any outright villainous characters in 20 years, which is when he played George Lutz in Amityville Horror, though that’s not the role we’re highlighting here. That’s because a decade ago, Reynolds delivered one of the best performances of his career in 2015’s Mississippi Grind, which balanced the other elements of his acting arsenal with a grounded and nuanced performance to create a captivating character that demanded your attention on screen.
Granted, Mississippi Grind was dealing with the realms of gambling and addiction, and Eloise is a children’s book about a young girl who gets into fun mischief while living on the “tippy-top floor” of The Plaza in New York City, so they aren’t nearly the same thing. That said, it will definitely be fun to see Reynolds stepping outside of his usual lane and into the villain realm, because he can certainly bring something special to the role.
In the initial announcement, Netflix’s head of feature animation and family film, Hannah Minghella, said, “Eloise has been beloved for generations, from when she was first published in the 1950s through to today, when no family trip to New York City is complete without a stop at The Plaza. It’s an honor to reintroduce this cherished character to the world with two people who share her signature mischief and charm—Amy Sherman-Palladino and Ryan Reynolds—in this bold, hilarious, and heartfelt new family film.”
The franchise has been adapted several times in made-for-TV movies, which include Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime. There was also an animated series titled Me, Eloise! on Starz back in 2006, and now the character will be making the jump to live-action. No release date has been revealed yet, but hopefully, more details on that will arrive soon.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
The post Ryan Reynolds’ New Movie for Netflix Is Officially His Biggest Acting Challenge in a Decade appeared first on ComicBook.com.
