Ben Affleck’s Best Action Thriller Finally Getting the Sequel It Deserves

Amazon will be producing The Accountant 2. The project’s original director, Gavin O’Connor, will return to shoot the sequel, ensuring a continuation of the aesthetic and sensibility that made the first movie a sleeper hit. Fans will probably be most enthusiastic about the return of Ben Affleck as The Accountant’s lead to reprise his character some have described as a brainy John Wick. 

The original film united action-packed thrills with a stirring narrative. It introduced audiences to a unique protagonist: Christian Wolff, portrayed by Affleck, an autistic mathematics savant with a greater affinity for numbers than people. Wolff, fans will remember, led a double life as a small-town CPA by day and a forensic accountant for criminal organizations by night. Ben Affleck’s character agrees to serve as the forensic accountant of a (supposedly) legitimate client, Living Robotics, a cutting-edge robotics company, and collides with their accounting clerk, played by Anna Hendrick, who has unearthed a financial discrepancy at the company—one entailing millions of dollars. As Wolff tries to uncook the books and near the truth, bodies pile up, commencing a thrilling tale of deception and survival. 

The film enjoyed a killer cast, in addition to Affleck and Kendrick: J. K. Simmons, as a savvy investigator for the Fed; Jon Bernthal, as Christian’s tough-guy brother; Jeffrey Tambor as Francis Silverberg, a retired Mafia bookkeeper who showed Affleck’s character the money laundering ropes; and John Lithgow, as the crooked CEO of Living Robotics.

Critics reacted to Ben Affleck’s The Accountant with mixed reviews, though they leaned toward the positive. Many lauded the film’s original approach and take on the action genre, especially Affleck’s stellar performance. At the same time, others panned the labyrinthine narrative and voiced a desire for more character development. The movie’s depiction of autism also inspired discussions; some celebrated the inclusion of a neurodiverse character in a leading role, while others questioned both the sensitivity and accuracy of the portrayal. Mixed reviews aside, audiences reacted warmly–particularly applauding Affleck’s performance, an indisputable strong point of the film. The actor’s depiction of a person with high-functioning customs contributed nuance and depth to the otherwise standard action hero role. 

Ben Affleck’s The Accountant was a resounding commercial success, earning over $155 million worldwide against a $44 million budget—a profitable venture for Warner Bros. The movie topped the box office on its opening weekend, netting $24.7 million in North America. Many expect Amazon’s sequel to be a comparably profitable (if not more profitable) venture for the streaming giant. It makes sense that Bezos and co. would invest in a sequel to a movie that stood out so strongly in the crowded field of action films. The fusion of gripping thriller tension and unique, impressive acting by Ben Affleck explains The Accountant’s success and Amazon’s investment in its second chapter.