WORCESTER, Mass. - More than a year after its originally scheduled release date, Ryan Reynolds' comedy Free Guy aims to arrive in theaters this summer.

The new scheduled release date is Friday, August 13.

Some scenes from the movie were filmed in downtown Worcester in May 2019.  Reynolds was in Worcester to shoot scenes for the film.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie was pushed back from July 2020 to an anticipated release date of December 11, 2020. It was then put on hold indefinetly until it was safe to reopen movie theaters nationwide. 

The first trailer for Free Guy was released in December 2019. 

The movie is directed by Shawn Levy and stars Reynolds, Taika Waititi, Channing Tatum, Joe Keery and Jodie Comer. According to IMDB.com, the film is about a bank teller — played by Reynolds — who discovers he's actually a non-player character inside a brutal, open world video game.

Shooting for Free Guy took place at Brew on the Grid at 56 Franklin St. and other areas downtown including scenes with a police chase, several large explosions and gun fire. 

On Tuesday, March 23, Reynolds released this hilarious message with a hopeful release date of August 13:

Image credit: Free Guy/Facebook