It’s been a long, long time since we last got good news about the development of The Accountant 2 starring Ben Affleck, and while that’s been frustrating, one could make the argument that today’s update totally makes up for everything. While the sequel to the 2016 action film has been stalled for years, the project has now not only found a new home, but casting has begun and production is being planned for later this month.
This excellent news about about The Accountant 2 comes directly from Amazon MGM, which has made a deal with Artists Equity after Artists Equity secured the rights to the franchise from Warner Bros. The folks over there have been working quickly and quietly to get the film ready for cameras to roll. Gavin O’Connor and Bill Dubuque, who respectively directed and wrote The Accountant, are both back for the sequel in their original positions. In addition to being a producer on the picture, Ben Affleck will reprise his role as autistic accountant Christian Wolff, and J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal and Cynthia Addai-Robinson are all onboard to return as well. Sadly, one star from the original who won’t be back is Anna Kendrick.
An official plot description for The Accountant 2 has been revealed, and you can check it out below:
When her former boss is killed by unknown assassins, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive—all intent on putting a stop to their search.
From an outside perspective, why it has taken so long for The Accountant 2 to move forward is a mystery. Gavin O’Connor told CinemaBlend all the way back in 2016 that he would “love to make another movie with [Chris Wolff],” and he has thankfully not given up on that aspiration in the near-decade since then. There was buzz in 2017 that the project was a go, and while that didn’t pan out, O’Connor restoked the coals in 2021 during a interview with ReelBlend. Only now, however, is the movie apparently coming together.
The original movie got a mixed critical response when it was first released, but as I wrote about in my CinemaBlend review of The Accountant, it works because Ben Affleck’s character is wonderful and fascinating. Hopefully the sequel is able to capitalize on all of the potential that the original showed. There certainly seems to be an audience hungry for the follow-up movie, as the 2016 feature finished its worldwide theatrical run earning $155.2 million at the box office. Sadly, it appears that The Accountant 2 won’t be getting a theatrical release and will be distributed as a Prime Video exclusive.
With production on The Accountant 2 set to start in California very soon, we’ll hopefully get more updates about it in the coming days, weeks, and months – including details about any new stars who may be coming to onboard to play in this growing canon. This is a project the folks here at CinemaBlend have been long anticipating, so stay tuned for news here on the site, and if you now find yourself with a desire to either watch or revisit The Accountant, you can presently stream the film with an AppleTV+ subscription.