"Accountant 2" New Trailer: Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal Bring Sibling Rivalry and Dark Humor to This Crime Thriller Sequel
In this sequel, Affleck and Bernthal play estranged brothers on a mission to solve a murder, blending suspense, humor, and sibling dynamics in a throwback to '80s films like Midnight Run and Rain Man.
Following its world premiere last month at SXSW, Accountant 2, a sequel to the Ben Affleck-starring 2016 action-thriller, emerged as a delightful crowd-pleaser, earning strong reviews with critics highlighting the captivating on-screen chemistry between Affleck and Jon Bernthal.
While the first film was a taut noir-like pulp thriller where Affleck’s Christian Wolff, a brilliant math savant, secretly worked for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations as their off-the-books accountant, this upcoming sequel seems to be flipping the script a bit.
At least, this new Accountant 2 trailer is leading you to believe it might be a darkly comic road trip between two estranged brothers—Affleck and Bernthal—who just happen to be an ex-criminal accountant and a covert assassin on a mission to solve the murder of U.S. Treasury agent Ray King (J.K. Simmons).
Could this end up being the feel-good buddy comedy of the year? Hmm.
Seemingly nodding to classic road trip films like Midnight Run and Rain Man—and perhaps a bit of Twins for good measure—Accountant 2 is shaping up to be more of a throwback to '80s crime dramas, leaning heavily on the light nature of its characters.
In this sequel, Christian (Affleck) and his brother Brax (Bernthal) haven’t spoken to each other since the events of the first film. It’s a point of contention for Brax, who desperately wants to have a closer relationship with his brother, but Christian’s autism has made it difficult for them to bond like normal siblings.
Throw in a plot where Christian, still working as a human number cruncher but now operating out of a large and moving Airstream trailer, is pulled in to decipher a cryptic conspiracy that the U.S. Treasury can’t seem to crack or even understand. It’s a recipe for a sequel that feels unlike the first film, blending a road-trip mystery with a new layer of dark humor and sibling camaraderie.
Joining Affleck and Bernthal in the sequel is Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who is reprising her role as Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina. New cast member Daniella Pineda (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop) costars as a deadly mysterious assassin who is somehow involved in the murder of agent Ray King (J.K. Simmons) but also connected to a vast conspiracy involving human trafficking south of the border.
Also returning for the sequel is director Gavin O'Connor (Miracle, Warrior) and writer Bill Dubuque (creator of Netflix’s Ozark). There are already talks that the same team will return for a planned third film, completing the trilogy.
The Accountant 2 arrives in theaters on April 25th.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
Do you like puzzles? ... Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
