'Ride Along 2' Already In the Works

Credit: Universal Pictures

One of the biggest box office hits of 2014 so far is already good for a sequel.

Universal Pictures is moving forward with a sequel to Ride Along, with Tim Story back in the directors chair alongside stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, who are close to finalizing deals to reprise their roles. Will Packer and Cube’s Cube Vision (Ice Cube and Matt Alvarez) will produce from a script penned by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, illustrating that Universal is unwilling to mess with the formula of the first film, lest they kill off a potential multimillion dollar, multi-installment franchise. The only changes expected for the franchise are the inclusion of more action, along with a touch more ethnic diversity, a move presumably meant to tap into the Latin American, European, and Asian international markets.

Production is expected to begin late June/early July start, provided the story is set by then (Hay and Manfredi are reportedly hard at work finalizing the script the sequel). No word on when the Ride Along sequel is expected to release, but it wouldn't surprise me if Universal aimed for another early-year start. It's a soft period for film, and having a tentpole franchise to hold down the fort for the down period could be a huge financial boon for Universal.

Regardless, this is good news for Hart fans, in addition to movie buffs wondering why buddy cop movies largely stopped being a thing after 2001.

Via: Deadline