Everybody loves a good sequel, especially when it features a multifaceted character like Christian Wolff, played by Ben Affleck in The Accountant. The actor has hooked the audience with his captivating portrayal of an accomplished accountant in the $155.2 million action-thriller film. He is now gearing up to excite fans once again with not one, but two more sequels, solidifying the trilogy. But what’s even more intriguing is that Gavin O’Connor’s alleged The Accountant trilogy will follow Tom Cruise’s Rain Man, which clinched four Oscars.
Yes, a thrilling action-drama sequel is reportedly in the works, with the director drawing inspiration from Cruise’s classic road comedy-drama, Rain Man. The sequel promises to surprise us with a unique twist—it will “integrate” Affleck’s character’s brother (Brax) into the story. Not only that, the third installment will feature a “buddy” film starring two brothers with an unusual dynamic.
This is exactly what we saw in Rain Man, where Raymond’s (Dustin Hoffman) and Charlie’s (Cruise) complicated relationship struck an emotional chord with audiences.
Ben Affleck’s The Accountant Trilogy Set to Follow Tom Cruise’s Rain Man?
There will definitely be a sequel to The Accountant. The Accountant 2 is the second installment in director Gavin O’Connor’s planned trilogy of films about Ben Affleck‘s brilliant but autistic accountant, Christian Wolff. According to the director, who spoke with Cinema Blend, he had always planned to tell the story of Christian as a trilogy, with a particular emphasis on the relationship with his brother, played by Jon Bernthal.
“We literally just closed that deal. We’re doing The Accountant again…I’ve always wanted to do three because what, the second one’s going to be more with — we’re going to integrate his brother into the story. So there’ll be more screen time for [Jon] Bernthal in the second one.”
And then the third movie’s going to be, as the director called it, “Rain Man on steroids.” As per O’Connor, The Accountant trilogy appears to be the follow-up to Tom Cruise‘s Rain Man, which won four Academy Awards.
For the unversed, Rain Man depicts the memorable relationship between two estranged brothers (Dustin Hoffman and Cruise). Its central theme is the bond that develops between the brothers and the journey they take together. Meanwhile, O’Connor stressed that the third movie in The Accountant trilogy will be a “buddy picture”, with the relationship between two brothers at its core.
“And then the third movie’s going to be, I call it, ‘Rain Man on steroids.’ The third movie is going to be the two brothers, this odd couple. The third one is going be a buddy picture.”
Rain Man narrates the tale of a self-centered young wheeler-dealer, Charlie Babbitt (played by Cruise). He discovers his father has bequeathed nearly his whole multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, Raymond (played by Hoffman), whom Charlie knows nothing about.
Tom Cruise Enjoyed Working In Oscar-Winning Film Rain Man
Among the best-known movies from the 1980s is Rain Man. The comedy-drama, which stars Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, was a huge financial success, taking home four Academy Awards and turning a tidy profit.
Few people thought that casting Tom Cruise as Charlie in the film was the right move at first because, prior to Rain Main, he was primarily recognized for his roles as an attractive action and romantic lead. The Top Gun star loved the role despite it being a new challenge because his character bears the majority of the emotional weight in the movie.
Cruise enjoyed every minute of the role, despite acknowledging that it was “different”. He recalled in an interview with The Associated Press (via Deseret News):
For myself it was a challenge. For myself, it was different. For myself, it was the best role that I’ve had in my career to date.”
The four-time Academy Award-winning 1988 film may have stood the test of time and proved Tom Cruise’s versatility as an actor. As of 2022, Rain Man is the first and only film to win both the Berlin International Film Festival’s highest honor and the Academy Award for Best Picture in the same year.
You can watch Rain Man on Amazon Prime Video, while The Accountant is available on Hulu.
