“The Adam Project” is the latest film to come from the powerful pairing of director Shawn Levy and actor/producer Ryan Reynolds, who first teamed up on “Free Guy.” The new Netflix original film traverses family, heartbreak, time travel, space and physics for a story that’s equal parts heartwarming and pulse-pounding. Aside from Reynolds, the movie also calls in veteran performers Zoe Saldana, Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo as well as newcomer Walker Scobell to play a younger version of Reynolds’ main character.
With the star-studded film now streaming on Netflix, we break down the cast and characters that populate “The Adam Project.”
Adult Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds)
Adam Reed, a fighter pilot from the year 2050, travels back to the year 2022 in order to search for Laura (Zoe Saldana), who has gone missing in the space-time continuum. As his older self, Reed has to team up with his younger self from 2022 in order to save the future.
Reynolds, of course, has previously played Deadpool in the “Deadpool” films, Hal Jordan in “Green Lantern,” Andrew Paxton in “The Proposal” and many more. He’s also the voice of Guy in “The Croods” franchise.
12-year-old Adam Reed (Walker Scobell)
In 2022, Adam Reed is 12 years old. He has also just recently lost his father Louis. Younger Reed is skeptical of his future self, but he accepts the invitation to go on an adventure, asking all kinds of questions — both personal and factual — along the way. Scobell is new to acting, and nailed his impression of Reynolds partly because he’s an obsessive “Deadpool” fan.
Ellie Reed (Jennifer Garner)
Jennifer Garner plays Adam’s mom Ellie. After the death of her husband Louis, she does her best to support Adam, but she also encourages him to prepare for his future, because it will be here before he knows it. Garner is known for roles that include 2004’s “13 Going on 30,” Vanessa Loring in “Juno” (2007), Cindy Green in “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” (2012) and of course Sydney Bristow in the TV series “Alias.”
Louis Reed (Mark Ruffalo)
Mark Ruffalo plays Adam’s dad and Ellie’s husband, Louis Reed. As a physicist, Louis studied the theory behind time travel. His studies contribute heavily to figuring out how time jumps work, even after his unfortunate death. Ruffalo is known for roles like that of Bruce Banner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he also starred in “13 Going on 30” alongside Jennifer Garner as Matt Flamhaff. Other characters Ruffalo has brought to the screen include Dave Toschi in “Zodiac,” Dylan Rhodes in the “Now You See Me” films and Terry in “You Can Count on Me.”
Laura (Zoë Saldana)
Laura is adult Adam’s love interest, who somehow gets lost within the space-time continuum, bringing Adam from 2050 to 2022 to search for her. Saldana herself has played iconic roles like Neytiri in James Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009) and Gamora in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.
Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener)
Catherine Keener plays the film’s villain, Maya Sorian, who was previously Louis’ business partner. Keener is known for roles like Trish in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” Sally Jackson in the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” films, Harper Lee in “Capote,” and Maxine in “Being John Malkovich.” She has also voiced animated characters like Ugga in “The Croods” movies and Evelyn Deavor in “Incredibles 2.”
