Forgotten Ben Affleck thriller is getting a sequel

Following years trapped in development hell, a sequel to The Accountant has been green-lit, with Ben Affleck returning as the title character.

In spite of middling reviews (and a score of 52% on Rotten Tomatoes), The Accountant was a hit for Ben Affleck, grossing $155 million from an estimated budget of $44 million.

The movie revolved around maths genius Christian Wolff, who works as an accountant for the world’s most dangerous criminal organisations.

Warner Bros. made the movie, and spent years developing a sequel, but now another studio is pushing ahead with the follow-up.

Forgotten Ben Affleck thriller is getting a sequel

Amazon MGM Studios is making The Accountant 2, with production set to start later this month.

As with the first film, Gavin O’Connor will direct from a script by Bill Dubuque, with the official synopsis as follows: “When her former boss is killed by unknown assassins, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina is forced to contact Christian Wolff to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax, 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.”

As well as Ben Affleck reprising his role, Jon Bernthal is again playing Brax Wolff, JK Simmons returns as head of the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division Ray King, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson is back as Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina.

Affleck is producing through Artists Equity, the company he set up with longtime collaborator Matt Damon. That dream team previously made Nike drama Air for the streamer, as well as Jennifer Lopez vehicle The Greatest Love Story Never Told.