Just like with traditional action blockbusters, sometimes a comedy movie will be successful enough that a studio wants a sequel. That was the case in 2014 with the buddy cop romp Ride Along, which starred Kevin Hart and Ice Cube as a comically mismatched duo who get into antics in the midst of a police investigation. These two reunited back in January for Ride Along 2, and with 2016 close to concluding, it's now been officially revealed that a third movie is already in the works.
Director Tim Story dropped the news to The Wrap, saying that writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi are hard at work developing Ride Along 3's story. And, of course, that Kevin Hart and Ice Cube are expected to reprise their lead roles. He said:
We're writing the script right now, we're writing away and basically, I'm waiting to see some pages and we're excited for the idea and what it can be and of course bringing Kevin [Hart] and Ice Cube back together because they are the greatest odd couple in the world. I'm impatiently waiting for a script to be given to me. We have some great ideas.
Since Tim Story, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi are working on the script as we speak, it's hard to say when Ride Along 3 will hit theaters. Ride Along 2 was officially announced as moving forward only a month after Ride Along was released, while Story's revelation comes nine months after the sequel hits theaters. That means unless they rush the writing, it's doubtful the threequel would be ready to go by January 2018, if we're taking the same release pattern into account. That said, they could have it finished for a mid-late 2018 release, although if Universal is keen on keeping it planted firmly in January, then 2019 would be the best bet. After all, there's rarely any competition that time of year.
Just like the previous two movies, moviegoers can expect to see Kevin Hart and Ice Cube's characters continue their comedic adventures behind the wheel of a police car and all the stops along the way in Ride Along 3. In this series, Ice Cube plays no-nonsense detective James Payton, while Hart plays Ben Barber, a former high school security guard who is now a police officer, albeit not the most competent one. Although both movies earned mostly negative reviews from critics (ranking 19% and 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively), they've been extremely successful financially, the first taking in $154.5 million worldwide and the second taking in $124.2 million worldwide.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend on how Ride Along 3 is progressing as more news comes in. Make sure to also let us know what you'd like to see in the threequel below.
