Ryan Reynolds Takes Surprising Villain Role in Gilmore Girls Creator’s New Film

Ryan Reynolds is swapping heroics for wickedness for the first time in a while, as he’s set to play the villain in a new live-action film adaptation of the Eloise children’s books.

It’s a surprising move from Reynolds. Feel free to correct us in the comments, but it seems the last time the Canadian-born actor played a villain was all the way back in 2014, when he starred as a serial killer in the psychological comedy-horror movie The Voices, and even that film tried to give him a sympathetic angle.

The new Eloise adaptation is being directed by Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who is loved by many for her screwball dialogue and fast-paced storytelling. Reynolds, who is also producing the flick, should be very at home in that environment.

The classic 1950s book series, written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight, doesn’t actually feature the villain that Reynolds will play, though. Sherman-Palladino will be creating an original antagonist for him when he stars alongside newcomer Mae Schenk in the titular role.

The project is also billed as a “wholly original adventure” rather than a straight adaptation of the books. Published in the 1950s, the series consists of four novels – Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown-ups, Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime, and Eloise in Moscow – that follow a girl who lives on the top floor of the Plaza Hotel in New York with her nanny, her pug, and her turtle.

The upcoming film has already been acquired by Netflix.

“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,” said Hannah Minghella, head of feature animation and family film at Netflix, in a statement. “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.”

A release date hasn’t been confirmed by the streamer yet, but filming is set to begin imminently. For any Marvel fans holding out hope of seeing Reynolds pop up as Deadpool in Avengers: Secret Wars, rest assured, he’s got plenty of time to fill before production begins on that movie some way into 2026.