Harold & Kumar Producer Credits Ryan Reynolds With Getting Movie Greenlit

Deadpool & Wolverine was released in theaters last weekend, and it has some taking a trip down memory lane. Not only are people remembering Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s Marvel history, but some folks are reflecting on other films from their past. Before he was Deadpool, Reynolds had many comedies under his belt, including National Lampoon’s Van Wilder. The 2002 comedy was one of Reynolds’ first big projects after his sitcom, Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place came to an end after four seasons. Turns out, Reynolds’ involvement with Van Wilder also helped get another classic comedy made: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Rolling Stone recently chronicled the history of the stoner comedy in honor of its 20th anniversary, and star Kal Penn and producer Nathan Kahane revealed Reynolds helped get the movie off the ground.

“Ryan was incredibly supportive during the audition process for Van Wilder,” Penn shared. “In the final callback, it was between me and a white dude in brownface for the part of an Indian exchange student. He said to me, ‘How do you feel about improv?’ So we improvised the scene, and he was obviously rooting for me to get the job. The entire production was awesome. He told me once in passing, ‘When you get your first lead, let me know and I’ll play the supporting guy.’ When Harold & Kumar happened and we were talking about cameos, I reached out to Ryan and he was immediately like, ‘Yes, absolutely.’”

“When we got the call from New Line, they had one caveat: Because we were casting unknowns, they wanted us to get three cameos in the movie so it felt like a fuller theatrical experience,” Kahane explained. “… calling Ryan’s agent and was like, ‘Is this happening?’ He told me Ryan was totally supportive because Ryan loves Kal. We paid him $10,000, and he was a beautiful man of his word. Ryan joining that cast got the movie greenlit.”

Will Harold and Kumar 4 Happen?

Earlier this year, Penn spoke to ComicBook and offered an update on Harold & Kumar 4. 

“No, [Jon] Hurwitz posted something on his Instagram that everybody took to mean it’s like in the process or something,” Penn explained when asked if the movie was officially happening. “I think it was a selfie we took at dinner. Nothing has changed, just to be clear. We would all love to do one. I’m sure we’ll do one at some point. I think the guys were busy with Cobra Kai and I think they have two or three other shows and movies. I was working on Designated Survivor for a few years and then a couple of other projects. So I think we were just hoping that the timeline aligns and that we find the right concept. That’s how I put it artistically. We all really want to make it happen but I don’t have any updates for you yet.”

In the recent Rolling Stone profile, Kahane revealed they’re “having conversations right now” about a fourth film and Penn, John Cho, and co-writer Jon Hurwitz are all willing to return.

Stay tuned for more updates.