EXCLUSIVE: After seeing The Accountant 2 gross over $103M worldwide on its way to becoming Amazon MGM Studios’ second most-watched film of all time on streaming, Gavin O’Connor has entered development on Running, a new film he’ll direct for Apple Original Films, with Apple Studios, Makeready and Nike producing, sources tell Deadline.
Reps for Apple declined to comment. As it’s very early days on this project, little is known about it, though it’s described as following a running prodigy on the hunt for greatness who uses his gifts to outrun his past and forge his future. The script is by Bill Dubuque, O’Connor’s collaborator on The Accountant films.
O’Connor directed both of those, including the sequel, which hit theaters in April after premiering at SXSW, where it won the Headliner Audience Award. Rated 72% Certified Fresh by critics on Rotten Tomatoes and landing a 92% on the Popcorn Meter, The Accountant 2 was met by an audience of nearly 80 million worldwide viewers in its first 28 days on Prime Video. It also nabbed the No. 1 spot on Nielsen’s Movie chart in its debut week on streaming, with 1.384 billion minutes viewed.
In the sequel — an action thriller following up 2016’s The Accountant — Ben Affleck reprises his role as Christian Wolff, a CPA with autism and a talent for solving complex problems who leads a double life as a forensic accountant for criminal organizations. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), the pair uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers determined to keep their secrets buried.
Released by Warner Bros. — which sold sequel rights to Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, leading to the recent Amazon MGM project — the first Accountant grossed $155M worldwide in its 2016 theatrical release before going on to become the most-rented digital film of the subsequent year.
O’Connor also previously worked with Affleck on the inspirational sports drama The Way Back. Additionally, he was a director and EP on The Americans and worked on Netflix’s Seven Seconds. He is repped by WME and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.
Dubuque is repped by CAA.
