One of Ben Affleck's critically acclaimed films sets a high standard for his upcoming sequel, The Accountant 2, and it is not the first The Accountant film.
The Accountant, directed by Gavin O'Connor, stars Affleck as Christian Wolff, a brilliant forensic accountant on the autism spectrum who works with criminal organisations to clean up their financial records.
The action thriller was a commercial success upon its release in 2016, collecting $155.5 million worldwide (according to Box Office Mojo).
A sequel has been in the works since 2017, and Amazon MGM Studios has officially confirmed that it will be called The Accountant 2. O'Connor will return as director, with Affleck starring and co-producing with Matt Damon through their production firm, Artists' Equity.
Filming started on March 25, 2024, however no official release date has been declared. There will be pressure to live up to the previous film, as with any sequel, but The Accountant 2's true benchmark isn't The Accountant at all.
Four years after the publication of The Accountant, Affleck and O'Connor set a new bar for The Accountant 2. In 2020, the actor-director combination reunited for The Way Back, a sports drama about a former high school basketball star and suffering alcoholic who begins to reclaim his life by coaching his old mater's team.
The Way Back received widespread accolades from critics and audiences alike, getting an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes in both categories. Affleck's performance in The Way Back was lauded as one of his best in years, according to reviews, including those of The Accountant.
In comparison, critics were less enthused by The Accountant, which has a 52% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite being a bigger hit with audiences, its 76% audience score falls short of The Way Back's 84% consensus.
Despite its positive reception, The Way Back only grossed $15.5 million at the box office on a $23 million budget (according to The Numbers) due to the disastrous scheduling of its theatrical release. The Way Back opened in theatres on March 6, 2020, less than two weeks before the global COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
The Accountant 2 is only about to outperform The Way Back at the box office due to unanticipated events; it's less clear whether it'll be of the same quality.
The Accountant 2 is already showing positive signals, with several original The Accountant characters returning for the sequel. Along with Affleck, J.K. Simmons' Ray King, Jon Bernthal's Brax, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson's Marybeth Medina will appear in The Accountant 2.
O'Connor, who is planning a trilogy, also revealed that Bernthal will have a larger role in The Accountant sequel after it was revealed at the end of the film that Brax was Christian's long-lost brother via flashbacks. Now that the Wolff brothers have rejoined, the sequel can concentrate on Bernthal's role.
The Accountant 2 will also see Affleck break his previous tendency of playing supporting characters in films by taking on a main role, which could bode well. Overall, The Accountant 2 is promising, but only time will tell if it can match The Way Back.
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