Summary

• The Accountant 2 will give Jon Bernthal's Braxton a bigger role, and focus on his relationship with brother Christian.
• Director Gavin O'Connor envisions a trilogy, with The Accountant 3 being the buddy action movie fans might expect from the second entry.
• The odds of The Accountant 3 happening look good, as the sequel is being produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

There's a surprising amount of anticipation for the upcoming Ben Affleck sequel The Accountant 2, but it won't quite be the movie people are expecting. Affleck was remarkably busy during the 2010s, directing and starring in movies like Argo or Live by Night, while playing Batman multiple times in the DCU, beginning with 2016's Batman v Superman. During this time, he also fronted The Accountant, a thriller that cast him as a criminal accountant on the autism spectrum. The movie received mixed reviews, but The Accountant was a solid hit, grossing $155 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) in 2016.

The film didn't exactly scream potential franchise, but director Gavin O'Connor always maintained in interviews a sequel was coming. The original has also grown in audience estimations in the years since its release, with the film being rediscovered on streaming services. The upcoming The Accountant 2 will reunite Affleck and O'Conner, alongside other cast members like J.K. Simmons and Jon Bernthal, with the sequel expected to arrive in 2025.

The Accountant 2 Will Give Jon Bernthal A Bigger Role Than The First Movie

Bernthal's Braxton is the brother of Affleck's Christian

Plot details for the follow-up are scarce, though it has been confirmed The Accountant 2 has a bigger role for Bernthal's Braxton. The brother twist only happens during The Accountant's ending, where Christian and Brax come to blows, only to reconcile after years apart. Bernthal gave a great supporting turn in the 2016 thriller, though Braxton was somewhat underutilized. This brother reveal is another reason the first entry feels so unique, since it's rare for an action movie to end not on a bloody fight, but two estranged siblings reconnecting instead.

The Accountant is streaming on Netflix, TNT, TBS and truTV.

The confirmation of The Accountant 2 moving ahead is pushing the fact that Bernthal will have a larger role in the plot. This is a natural direction for the story to move in, with the brothers teaming up against a new threat. Of course, that assumes Christian and Brax aren't on opposite sides again, though it's hard to envision a scenario where they turn on each other.

The Best Bernthal & Affleck Team-Up Won't Happen Until The Accountant 3

The Accountant 2 won't be the Lethal Weapon of the series

Director Gavin O'Connor has a trilogy in mind, and viewers will have to wait until The Accountant 3 arrives for the Christian/Brax buddy action movie they might expect from The Accountant 2.

On paper, giving Brax and Christian more screen time makes it sound like the sequel will be an unconventional buddy comedy. However, according to an interview with director O'Connor in 2021 (via CinemaBlend), this won't be the case. In fact, the director has a trilogy in mind, and viewers will have to wait until The Accountant 3 arrives for the Christian/Brax buddy action movie they might expect from The Accountant 2.

So, I've always wanted to do three because what, the second one's going to be more with -- we're going to integrate his brother into the story. So there'll be more screen time for Bernthal in the second one. And then the third movie’s going to be, I call it, ‘Rain Man on steroids.’ The third movie is going to be the two brothers, this odd couple. The third one is going be a buddy picture.

Of course, the director made those comments in 2021, so there's a chance his plan has changed. It appears part of the delay between the original and its sequel has been down to developing scripts for both The Accountant 2 and a potential third installment. Perhaps the events of the second film lead into The Accountant 3, with O'Connor's descriptor of "Rain Man on steroids" even hinting at some kind of road trip structure.

If the next film isn't focused on the siblings working together, it will be interesting to see how Braxton plays into the second entry. If Bernthal has more screen time, maybe Brax's story would be given equal importance to Christian's, with their plots overlapping on occasion. Sadly, it sounds like fans of the first film hoping for a full-on, Tango & Cash-style teaming of the Wolff brothers will need to wait for The Accountant 3.

Why The Chances Of The Accountant 3 Happening Look Good

Will Gavin O'Connor close the account on his Accountant trilogy?

The odds of The Accountant 3 getting a greenlight also feel solid, particularly if O'Connor and his cast push the notion of the story being a trilogy while doing press rounds.

The Accountant 2 is being produced by Amazon MGM Studios, and will likely be a streaming exclusive that bypasses theaters. The resurgence of the original being a big success on Netflix suggests an audience eagerly awaits the next film, and to see where Affleck's Christian is nearly a decade later. With that in mind, the odds of The Accountant 3 getting a greenlight also feel solid, particularly if O'Connor and his cast push the notion of the story being a trilogy while doing press rounds.

Anna Kendrick is not expected to reprise the role of Dana for The Accountant 2.

It would help if the first sequel is a genuine improvement on the original. While it boasted an impressive cast, solid action and a compelling lead character, The Accountant had several flaws too. This included needlessly convoluted narrative decisions and a tone that bounced between deathly serious thriller and saccharine drama. Regardless, it was still an entertaining romp, and while The Accountant 2 may not be the film that some are expecting, more Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal is always a good thing.

Source: Box Office Mojo, CinemaBlend