Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know
Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know
Imaginary Friends, now titled If, was first announced in 2019 and has been in the works for quite some time. Falling into the genre of fantasy-comedy, the film carries an impressive cast and an intriguing storyline. The demand for John Krasinski’s latest project was quite high. With Sony, Lionsgate, and Paramount competing for the film’s rights and engaging in a heavy bidding war, Paramount was ultimately able to weather it out and pick the movie up.
With John Krasinski taking on multiple roles in the movie, both as an actor and part of the creative team, viewers are excited and curious to see the final outcome. Krasinski established himself as a talented director and actor in the post-apocalyptic horror movie A Quiet Place, which went on to become a hit, warranting a sequel in 2020 titled A Quiet Place II. With Paramount backing the Quiet Place movies and therefore having done prior work with Krasinski, which was a resounding success, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they went to great lengths to secure the rights for his latest project.
Despite the hype attached to If, details regarding the film remain vague, especially concerning the film’s storyline. Here is everything we know so far about the project.
If: The Plot
The plot of If remains largely vague. Not much regarding the storyline of the film is known. From what we gather, the narrative will center on a man who can interact with other people’s imaginary friends. Giving substance to the lives of imaginary friends, who are so often forgotten or discarded as people grow and time passes, the film focuses on what might happen when these friends are left feeling lonely or discarded.
The movie’s description on IMDb consists of just a single line: “A child’s journey to rediscover their imagination.” However, The Hollywood Reporter provided a more elaborate film description back in 2019. As per the article, the film will follow:
“…the tale of a man who can see and talk to people’s imaginary friends, befriending those that have been forgotten or discarded. However, some imaginary friends, lacking love and friendship, turn to the dark side, and it’s up to Reynolds’ character to save the world from those that become evil.”
If: The Cast
The cast of the film has several notable names. While John Krasinski will be taking on a role, he will be joined by Ryan Reynolds, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Steve Carell, Alan Kim, Cailey Fleming, Louis Gossett Jr., and Bobby Moynihan. No information regarding the roles the cast will take on has been revealed at the time of writing.
Coming together for If will be the first time that Krasinski and Steve Carell work together on a project after their time on The Office. Carell and Krasinski worked together on the comedy television series, now a fan favorite, for seven seasons before Carell made his exit from the show, much to the disappointment of fans who had loyally followed the series for many years. For those who have missed the Halpert-Scott duo, If will be a welcome chance to see the pair together again.
In an interview with ET in June 2022, Carell expressed his excitement over the chance to work with Krasinski once again, saying:
“Well, I haven’t started working on the film with him yet, but I can’t wait. I’m anticipating just joy and fun. I mean, he’s the best, and he’s a great director.”
If: Everything Else
The film still appears to be in the early stages of production as per a few set pictures which have been shared by JustJared and a few other media outlets. The pictures show Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, and Cailey Flemings walking on the film’s set on Coney Island.
In many of the pictures, Krasinski looks to have donned his director’s cap, seemingly demonstrating and directing both Reynolds and Flemings through the set. Despite not having worked together extensively, Reynolds and Krasinski have had a long-standing friendship, with both continuously supporting each other’s work. Now that the duo is working together in a film, it will surely be interesting to witness how the pair’s dynamic translates onto the screen.
Release Date
The film was first scheduled to be released on November 17, 2023. However, the release date has now been delayed. It is reported that the release of the film has been pushed further back due to the hectic schedule of a few cast members, including Krasinski and Reynolds. If is now set to release on May 24, 2024.
