The Worst Ryan Reynolds Movie Is Getting A Sequel For Some Reason
Ryan Reynolds is one of the biggest stars in the world, which means that even his worst movie gets a sequel.
This article is more than 2 years old
R.I.P.D, Ryan Reynolds’ notorious box office disaster, is getting a surprising sequel. The news comes by way of this week’s Motion Picture Association bulletin which gives the project a PG-13 rating. Hailing from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned was awarded the classification for sequences of violence, language, disturbing images, and crude references. According to Bloody Disgusting, the film will be a direct-to-video release.
Released in 2013, R.I.P.D is based on the comic book of the same name by Peter M. Lenkov. It was adapted for the screen by writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, with Robert Schwentke handling directing duties. Billed as a supernatural action comedy, the story follows Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds), a murdered Boston police detective who is recruited to join the afterlife’s Rest in Peace Department. Partnered with Roicephus “Roy” Pulsipher, the duo is tasked with tracking and capturing the souls of those who have escaped their final judgment.
Starring alongside Ryan Reynolds is Jeff Bridges as Roicephus “Roy” Pulsipher who is a self-described lawman in the Old West and veteran officer of the R.I.P.D. Like Nick, Roy was also killed by his partner and obsesses over how he died. Mary-Louise Parker stars Mildred Proctor, supervisor of the Boston division of the R.I.P.D. She was previously in a relationship with Roy who resents her position as supervisor. Kevin Bacon appears as corrupt Boston Police detective Bobby Hayes who was also Nick’s partner. He is secretly a “Deado” who was killed in a drug raid but escaped judgment.
The Ryan Reynolds movie only grossed $12.7 million in its opening weekend and ended its theatrical run with $78.3 million at the global box office. After working with a 130 million budget, which several reports claim was much more, the project was deemed a box office flop. Critics were not kind to the project either, bestowing R.I.P.D with mostly negative reviews. Adding insult to injury, the film holds a super low 12% approval rating on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with the general consensus calling it the worst comic book adaptation since Jonah Hex.
While Universal Pictures’ decision to develop a follow-up to the Ryan Reynolds vehicle is stupefying, the tactic is not that unusual. Releasing soft reboots and sequels to feature films through the direct-to-video market is a pretty common strategy for the studio. Movie bosses have previously taken potential franchises like Tremors, Scorpion King, and Chucky, and produced multiple entries in this format which sometimes leads to major success.
Fortunately, R.I.P.D didn’t have an effect on Ryan Reynolds’ film career at all. The actor went on to star in several blockbuster hits including Deadpool, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Red Notice, The Adam Project, and more. He is currently working on Spirited alongside Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer. Billed as a Christmas-themed musical, the movie is written and directed by Sean Anders and John Morris. The modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol is being distributed by Apple TV+. The film is scheduled to be released later this year.
