Showbiz

Ben Affleck’s Accountant 2 director reveals why Anna Kendrick was ‘intentionally’ kept out of sequel

Ben Affleck’s Accountant 2 director reveals why Anna Kendrick was ‘intentionally’ kept out of sequel

Ben Affleck’s latest movie, The Accountant 2, was released on April 25.

It’s a follow-up to the 2016 original, which starred Anna Kendrick, 39, opposite the 52-year-old Boston native.

It centered around zany mathematician Christian Wolff (Affleck), a freelance accountant for criminal organizations.

Kendrick, who played Christian’s love interest Dana Cummings, is noticeably absent from the sequel, and director Gavin O’Connor recently explained why.

He revealed to The Direct that the Pitch Perfect star’s nonappearance ‘was always the intention for the second movie.’

O’Connor, along with screenwriter Bill Dubuque had always planned for the second installment to hone in on Christian and his estranged brother Brax (Jon Bernthal) as they resolve their issues.

Ben Affleck's latest movie, The Accountant 2, was released on April 25. It's a follow-up to the 2016 original, which starred Anna Kendrick, 39, opposite the 52-year-old Boston native

Ben Affleck’s latest movie, The Accountant 2, was released on April 25. It’s a follow-up to the 2016 original, which starred Anna Kendrick, 39, opposite the 52-year-old Boston native

Kendrick, who played Christian's love interest Dana Cummings, is noticeably absent from the sequel, and director Gavin O'Connor recently explained why; pictured April 15

Kendrick, who played Christian’s love interest Dana Cummings, is noticeably absent from the sequel, and director Gavin O’Connor recently explained why; pictured April 15

The Accountant 2 picks up nine years after the original, highlighting treasury agent Marybeth Medina — played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson — who enlists Christian to solve a murder mystery.

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Christian takes on the task with the help of his estranged brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), with the siblings setting out to uncover the truth.

Ben, Cynthia, Jon and J.K. Simmons have all reprised their roles.

Anna could possibly return for a third iteration of the franchise. 

‘Don’t be surprised if Dana, [Kendrick] shows up in the third film,’ O’Connor teased, adding that the silver screen siren is ‘a hundred percent in if we want.’

Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes about the film in October 2016, Anna said, ‘One of the things that intrigued me most about the script was the levels and layers of this puzzle.’

The Hollywood vet continued: ‘I had to read it twice to even follow a lot of the mystery as it gets unveiled. I think those kinds of movies — where there’s so much going on that you can pick up more and more if you watch it a few times — are really exciting.’

She added, ‘It has that feeling of a ’90s thriller. Obviously, Ben and Gavin were [also] hugely exciting to me.’

He revealed to The Direct that the Pitch Perfect star's nonappearance 'was always the intention for the second movie.' However, Anna could possibly return for a third iteration of the franchise

He revealed to The Direct that the Pitch Perfect star’s nonappearance ‘was always the intention for the second movie.’ However, Anna could possibly return for a third iteration of the franchise

The Accountant centered around zany mathematician Christian Wolff (Affleck), a freelance accountant for criminal organizations

The Accountant centered around zany mathematician Christian Wolff (Affleck), a freelance accountant for criminal organizations

The first trailer for The Accountant 2 came out in February.

Ben produced, along with lifelong friend and collaborator Matt Damon, Lynette Howell Taylor, and Mark Williams. 

Fans were delighted to learn about the second movie, taking to social media to express their excitement.

‘Captain America, The Accountant 2, Mission Impossible, John Wick, Superman. It’s gonna be a great year for movies,’ one person wrote in anticipation.

Someone else shared, ‘I’m already in line and it hasn’t even gone on sale yet. I’ll take this over any Marvel movie in 2025.’ 

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