With the release of The Accountant 2 in theaters, director Gavin O’Connor is already teasing a third installment, hinting at the return of Anna Kendrick’s character, Dana. In a recent interview alongside star Ben Affleck, O’Connor expressed enthusiasm for reviving the romance between Dana, Anna Kendrick’s character from the 2016 original, and Affleck’s Christian Wolff. Kendrick played Christian’s love interest in the first film, a dynamic fans have hoped to see revisited.
When asked about plans for another sequel, Affleck deferred to screenwriter Bill Dubuque and O’Connor, stating he’s awaiting “another great script.” O’Connor revealed, “One thing we’ve talked about is bringing Anna Kendrick back. Maybe Christian can finally get the love he deserves.” Affleck jokingly hoped Anna Kendrick “still likes us,” but O’Connor shared that he’s been texting with Kendrick, who is “a hundred percent in” for a potential third film.
While The Accountant 2 focuses on Christian’s relationship with his brother Braxton, played by Jon Bernthal, O’Connor clarified that Anna Kendrick’s absence was intentional. “It was always about bringing the brothers together to fix things,” he said, emphasizing themes of human connection and love. The second film explores the brothers’ search for reconciliation, a universal struggle O’Connor wanted to highlight.
O’Connor also confirmed that the series was envisioned as a trilogy, promising that the third film won’t take another nine years, unlike the gap between the first two. With Kendrick’s potential return, fans are eager for Christian’s romantic arc to resume. As The Accountant 2 draws audiences, the prospect of a third film, blending action and emotional depth, is already generating buzz.
Fans of The Accountant franchise, which recently released a sequel to the 2016 Ben Affleck film, will be pleased to hear that Anna Kendrick is in talks to return for a third installment. The original movie, distributed by Warner Bros, follows Affleck's forensic accountant with high-functioning autism, Christian Wolff, who is forced to utilize his skills as an assassin when a new client puts his life in danger.
Kendrick memorably played Affleck’s love interest in the thriller, Dana Cummings, but she is noticeably absent from the new film, leaving many fans of the Pitch Perfect star disappointed. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, director Gavin O’Connor said that Kendrick’s nonappearance was always the intention. “When Bill Dubuque [screenwriter] and I started talking about the second movie, it was very important that we didn’t want a love story,” he said. “We wanted a love story with brothers. We wanted to do a 48 Hours or Midnight Run kind of buddy picture.
“Then the third movie, which is what the plan has always been, is for [Christian’s] quest for love and connection to be consummated. I don’t know what that’s going to be yet, but that’s the intention.” In further comments to The New York Times, O’Connor said he’s had “preliminary conversations” with Kendrick about reprising the role in the future.
He added: “I am personally running from another puzzle movie, which we’ve done twice now. One thing we’ve talked about is the idea of bringing Anna Kendrick back. Maybe Christian can finally get the love that he deserves.” Affleck, who was also present for the interview, interjected: “We’re hoping she still likes us.” O’Connor responded by revealing: “Actually, Ben, she and I have been texting. She said she’s a hundred percent in if we want.”
Although the first film had impressive box office takings of $155 million from a $44 million budget, the sequel so far has reportedly made just $25 million against an $80 million budget. In a two-star review of The Accountant 2, The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey said that the film was “teetering right on the edge of seeing his autism as nothing more than a punchline.”
Anna Kendrick fans, get excited – because she’s officially ready to step back into the world of The Accountant. The 39-year-old actress, who played Dana Cummings in the 2016 hit, didn’t appear in the recently released sequel, The Accountant 2. But according to director Gavin O’Connor, that’s about to change. In fact, Anna’s already given the green light to come back for The Accountant 3.
Speaking to The New York Times, lead star Ben Affleck, who plays autistic accountant and secret vigilante Christian Wolff, confirmed he’s just waiting for the script. “That’s a question I want to ask Bill [Dubuque, writer] and Gavin. I’m just waiting for another great script,” Ben said. O’Connor was quick to tease what’s in the works – and it definitely involves Anna. “One thing we’ve talked about is the idea of bringing Anna Kendrick back. Maybe Christian can finally get the love that he deserves,” he said.
Should the third film come to fruition, O’Connor intends to continue expanding Christian's development of new connections, possibly in the form of a romantic relationship. O’Connor would say as much in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, giving a brief but detailed description of the themes that would be explored in The Accountant 3, saying: "The third movie, which is what the plan has always been, is for [Christian’s] quest for love and connection to be consummated. I don’t know what that’s going to be yet, but that’s the intention.” The fact that O’Connor spoke to Anna Kendrick about returning—and that she expressed interest in doing so—makes it seem like that will likely be the direction they go in.
Despite the first Accountant being a more intense film than its sequel, Kendrick's performance as Dana would help provide some much-needed levity. Ben Affleck's Wolff may be able to get a happy ending after all, should the box office of the sequel help to justify putting a third film into production.
