John Krasinski is definitely making a name for himself as a director. Though he made his feature directorial debut all the way back in 2009 with the David Foster Wallace adaptation Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, he broke out in a big way behind the camera in 2081 with the horror hit A Quiet Place, and he followed it up a few years later with the successful A Quiet Place Part II. Krasinski has definitely demonstrated a knack for scaring audiences, but with his next effort, he’ll be doing something totally different.
The actor-cum-writer/director has already completed work on IF – which is an acronym that stands for “Imaginary Friends.” Very little is known about the story at the center of the fantasy comedy, and the movie won’t be heading to theaters until May 2024, but one thing that we do know about the film is that it has a stacked ensemble cast, and we’ve put together this feature to provide a rundown of the stars involved.
Not only is John Krasinski writing and directing IF, he has also carved out a role for himself in his original screenplay. As an actor, Krasinski has continued to have success on the small screen in his post-The Office career, namely by starring as the titular character in the Prime Video series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. He has, however, also been working on the big screen as well, with roles in films including both of the Quiet Place chapters, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (where he appeared as an alternate universe version of Reed Richards), and DC League of Super-Pets (where he provides the voice of Superman).
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds seems to be just about everywhere these days. His time playing Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool is far from over, as he has Deadpool 3 coming in 2024, and in the last two years alone he has been in five different movies – including Free Guy, Red Notice, The Adam Project, Bullet Train, and Spirited. You might think he’d be tired after all of that… but evidently he’s not tired enough to take on a role in IF.
Steve Carell
An Office reunion! Steve Carell and John Krasinski haven’t worked together since the end of the hit NBC sitcom back in 2013, but the men previously known as Michael Scott and Jim Halpert will be coming back together to collaborate on IF. Like Krasinski, Carell has never stopped working since The Office ended, and he has been mixing things up when it comes to both film and television. He is a constant presence in the Despicable Me movies and spin-offs, and has been a part of three different shows since 2019: The Morning Show on AppleTV+, Space Force on Netflix, and The Patient on FX.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is presently a hot talent in Hollywood, with the industry unable to get over the awesomeness that are her original series Fleabag and Killing Eve, and her popularity has led to some very exciting projects. The biggest of these is inarguably Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, which will see her go on an adventure with Harrison Ford’s beloved adventurer character, but she also has a role to play in IF (though nothing is known about her character).
Fiona Shaw
Fiona Shaw was announced as part of the cast of IF in the same trade report that confirmed Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s part in the movie. She has some prior shared credits with Waller-Bridge, as she starred on Killing Eve and had a guest role on Fleabag, but she is best known for her work in two of the most popular franchises of all time. She played the antagonistic Aunt Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter movies, and more recently had a key supporting role on the Disney+ Star Wars series Andor.
Louis Gossett Jr.
While he may now be 86 years old, Louis Gossett Jr. has not slowed down in his legendary acting career. Best known for his Oscar-winning performance in An Officer And A Gentleman, the star has made 11 movies in the last six years, and that work has been paired with roles on TV shows including Watchmen, Hap And Leonard, and The Good Fight. He signed on to the cast of IF in January 2022, and will next be featured in the musical remake of The Color Purple, which will be hitting theaters in December.
Cailey Fleming
Though she is still a young star, child actor Cailey Fleming has already bolstered her resume with a number of impressive projects. She is probably best known for playing Judith Grimes in 53 episodes of The Walking Dead, but she has notably also had parts in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. She played “Kid Sylvie” in the first season of the Disney+ series Loki, and “Young Rey” in both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. John Krasinski’s IF is set to be her first feature film role since the 2019 blockbuster. Deadline reported the casting at the same time as Louis Gossett Jr. and…
Alan Kim
It’s not an easy thing to become a breakout star at the young age of 8, but that’s exactly what Alan Kim did in 2020 with his performance in the critically acclaimed 2020 film Minari. Since then, he has appeared in episodes of Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens and Little America, and his upcoming movie Theater Camp premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to IF, he is also voicing a role in the upcoming animated PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, which will be in theaters this September.
Bobby Moynihan
Since his time as a regular on Saturday Night Live, Bobby Moynihan has primarily been doing a lot of voice over work for animated television – his credits in the last few years alone including Summer Camp Island, It’s Pony, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and both Star Wars: Visions and Star Wars: The Bad Batch. When it comes to live-action, he’s mostly stayed on the small screen, with parts on Mr. Mayor, Blockbuster and the third season of Party Down, but he had a cameo in Kevin Smith’s Clerks III in 2022 and, obviously, is a part of the cast of John Krasinski’s IF (according to Deadline).
We’ll update this article if more actors are announced as part of the IF cast, and we’ll continue to look forward to the film’s set release date on May 24, 2024. To learn about features that are coming out between now and then, head over to our 2023 Movie Release Calendar.
