Ryan Reynolds recently shared the trailer of his upcoming film IF on Instagram. The movie is about a young girl named Bea and her neighbor Cal who can see people’s imaginary friends who are referred to as “IFs” for short. The live-action film is written, produced and directed by John Krasinski. It features Reynolds and 17-year-old child actor Cailey Fleming in the lead. The film includes the ensemble cast of Fiona Shaw, Alan Kim, Liza Colon-Zayas and Bobby Moynihan. Many other actors like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell voice animated characters in the film. This includes Ryan Reynolds’s wife actor Blake Lively who voices the character of “Octocat” and John Krasinski’s wife, actor Emily Blunt voices the character of “Unicorn”.

By the looks of the trailer, it appears that Ryan Reynolds introduces Cailey Fleming to the range of “imaginary friends” that are invisible to others. These “imaginary friends” were once created by kids who have now grown up and forgotten them. Together the duo works to find these “imaginary friends” new kids who will accept them as friends.

While sharing the film’s trailer, Ryan Reynolds revealed the film’s release date and wrote, “IF only it was May 17th already.” In no time, the post captured Hugh Jackman’s attention. He commented on this post and wrote, “You made a movie without me?!!” Bodybuilder Aaron W. Reed who worked as Reynold’s body double in the 2021 film Free Guy also commented on the trailer and wrote, “Actually can’t wait for this.”

IF was first announced in 2021 and its principal photography began in August 2022. The film was initially set for release on November 17, 2023, but was delayed. Last year, Krasinski told Collider that the film was based on the idea he had “about seven years ago”. He described the project as “deeply personal” and said that he wanted to make a family-friendly movie that could be enjoyed by his two daughters.

Krasinski, who has directed post-apocalyptic horror film A Quiet Place told Collider, “IF is a movie that I made for my kids because I don’t think they’re allowed to see A Quiet Place; Emily (Blunt) calls it PG-40. So I had to make a movie that they could see, and I’m really, really excited about it.” The multi-talented director explained the premise of IF as, “Imaginary friends are adorable and all those things, but they’re also time capsules of your hopes, dreams, and ambitions when you were the most fertile of a brain, and it never goes away. I think we’re told that we’re adults instead of what if you realise that you never stopped being a kid.”

IF will be released on May 17, 2024.