Summary

• Ben Affleck is currently shooting a sequel to 2016's The Accountant.
• If The Accountant 2 is a commercial hit, there's a chance another sequel could happen, making a trilogy.
• The Accountant sequels will integrate Jon Bernthal's character more, forming a buddy duo.

Ben Affleck has an exciting sequel, The Accountant 2, in development, and it's set to expand into something even bigger. In 2016, Affleck starred as Christian Wolff in The Accountant, a crime thriller action movie that received primarily mixed reviews from critics. The film has a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.3/10 on IMDb, despite the prestigious talent behind and in front of the camera. Yet, like many action movies, The Accountant wasn't burdened by its poor critical score, still managing to gross $155 million at the box office on a $44 million budget.

The Accountant is currently streaming on Netflix and Hulu.

The Accountant 2 has been confirmed after spending years in development, with Affleck and co-star Jon Bernthal both set to return. The sequel seems to be coming from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's production company, Artists Equity, which is continuing its distribution partnership with Amazon MGM Studios. Given the previous film's commercial success, The Accountant 2 could be passed off as a for-profit release for the company, especially after Air's box office flop. However, there seems to be a bigger plan for The Accountant.

The Accountant 2 Is Part Of A Trilogy Plan

Director Gavin O'Connor Has A Three Movie Arc Planned For The Accountant

On CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast, filmmaker Gavin O'Connor revealed some of his plans for The Accountant saga. O'Connor is known for primarily action and sports films, with hits including Warrior, Miracle, and The Way Back, where he also partnered with Affleck. On the podcast, O'Connor revealed that he wanted to use the second film to integrate Jon Bernthal's Brax, Christian Wolff's brother, into the story more. Then, the third film would be a buddy picture akin to Rain Man, with action elements. See the full quote below:

Yeah. Yeah. 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.

This is exciting news for both Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal. For Affleck, Christian Wolff will become one of his most notable characters, even surpassing Batman as the character he's spent the most time with after three movies. The Accountant wasn't one of Ben Affleck's best movies, but the sequels could be. This could also be enormous for Jon Bernthal, who's been relegated primarily to supporting roles in various movies and shows despite obviously being ultra-talented.

The Accountant 3 Will Likely Depend On The Accountant 2's Box Office - But Its Chances Are Good

The Accountant 2 Needs To Perform Commercially, Which Seems Promising

In order for the full trilogy to happen, The Accountant 2 will have to perform well at the box office. If it can be made on a similarly low budget as the first, there should be no issue getting this done. Not to mention, with an Amazon Prime distribution deal, the film could easily be a hit on the streaming service after its theatrical run, given how well crime thriller media like Reacher does on the platform. Action movies are as close to a fail-safe as can be, and The Accountant 2 has an excellent creative team to ensure it's a hit.

Sources: CinemaBlend's ReelBlend