Canadian screen stars Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy say their powerhouse partnership has only just begun, with their latest collaboration on Netflix鈥檚 鈥淭he Adam Project鈥� just one more step in what they hope can be a lifelong alliance.

Levy says the friends 鈥� who also happen to be neighbours in New York 鈥� have four other projects in the works together, including a sequel to last year鈥檚 鈥淔ree Guy.鈥�

鈥淚t is very much the bromance that you see,鈥� says Levy, the Montreal-born producer-director behind 鈥淔ree Guy鈥� as well as the Netflix series 鈥淪tranger Things.鈥�

In their second collaboration, premi猫ring Friday on Netflix, the duo commit yet again to an adventure comedy, but this time with a little nostalgia.

Reynolds stars as a time-travelling pilot named Adam who joins forces with his 12-year-old self to confront his late father, played by Mark Ruffalo, and save the future.

Both Reynolds and Levy say they were drawn to the family-driven and fantastical plot, with each pointing to creative impulses forged by 鈥�80s-era Steven Spielberg fare including 鈥淓.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.鈥�

It鈥檚 one of the many ways Reynolds says he and Levy connect.

鈥淲e feel really lucky that we found each other. Creatively and spiritually, we鈥檙e so aligned,鈥� Reynolds adds in a separate video call from Toronto.

鈥淲e鈥檝e never even had a fight. We鈥檝e disagreed on a million things, but it鈥檚 never muddied with a weird emotional experience, which can happen in the arts.

鈥淲e have one of those partnerships that you wish you鈥檇 made in a computer. If we could make every movie for the rest of our lives together we would.鈥�

The Vancouver-born Reynolds says he鈥檇 been looking for a project with a 鈥渇ather-son dynamic鈥� for a couple of years.

鈥淲e ended up finding 鈥楾he Adam Project,鈥� which is the perfect fit with that Amblin tone and the feeling of those movies that we grew up with,鈥� he says, referring to the Spielberg-led production company Amblin Partners.

But having to call Ruffalo 鈥渄ad鈥� onscreen was 鈥渄elightfully weird,鈥� chuckles Reynolds, going on to credit his co-star with adding complexity and humanity to the role.

The film is anchored by a debut performance from 13-year-old Walker Scobell, a 鈥淒eadpool鈥� uberfan who watched the sequel at least 60 times, says Reynolds, set to play the foul-mouthed anti-hero for a third instalment.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a unicorn,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 one of those kids that is deeply feeling, which is what you want as an actor.

鈥淏ut you also want to be very careful, because a deeply feeling kid on a film set can be very precarious 鈥� but he has his head screwed on so well.鈥�

鈥淭he Adam Project鈥� also had Reynolds thinking of his three daughters, whom he shares with wife and actress Blake Lively, and the film鈥檚 core theme of learning from our parents鈥� mistakes.

鈥淚鈥檓 shocked at how many learning moments I鈥檝e had as a parent,鈥� he says.

鈥淎s somebody who works in the public eye, it might look like I鈥檓 winning all the time but that鈥檚 not at all the case.

鈥淭he best experiences I鈥檝e had have come from failures, and I want my kids to be able to have a bit of that but also to truly know me.鈥�

Levy鈥檚 directing credits include the youth-driven late 鈥�90s TV series 鈥淭he Secret World of Alex Mack,鈥� 鈥淎nimorphs鈥� and 鈥淪o Weird,鈥� a period of time he dubs 鈥渢he early Shawn Levy sweet spot.鈥�

Along with the Netflix series 鈥淪tranger Things,鈥� Levy points to a clear connective thread 鈥渆ven as I bounce around genres and tones.鈥�

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 a comedy or a sci-fi adventure, I want there to be humanism. I want a big, warm, beating heart at the centre of everything that I do,鈥� he says from New York.

鈥淚 try to live that way and I try to work that way. 鈥楨.T.鈥� is about an alien landing but also the power of friendship. Thinking about that just gave me goosebumps.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the Amblin ethos: take high concepts and root them in relatable human themes.鈥�

As for what his own 12-year-old self would say to him now, Levy says he鈥檚 sure that boy would approve of where he ended up as an adult.

鈥淭welve-year-old me was sitting in Montreal, dreaming of a life like the one I ended up living,鈥� Levy says.

鈥淚 was fiercely ambitious then, too, and I probably missed a lot of opportunities for fun but I wanted to get into this life and career of storytelling so badly.

鈥淗ollywood felt like another planet. So I worked my tail off and I think younger me would be happy to see that it worked out the way damn near what he dreamed.鈥�

鈥擲adaf Ahsan, The Canadian Press