Ryan Reynolds Movie RIPD Is Getting A Sequel (Yes, Really)

When one considers the career of Ryan Reynolds there are plenty of beloved movies and also a few stinkers that some would rather forget. Though 2011’s Green Lantern may be thought of as one of the worst of his career, there’s another Reynolds-starring movie based on a comic that may be the true bottom of the barrel, and it’s not 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. You may have forgotten about it now but in 2013 Reynolds starred in another potential franchise vehicle with R.I.P.D., a box office bomb with a 12% Rotten Tomatoes score. In the surprise of the century, that film is now getting a sequel.

In an unlikely move, the existence of an R.I.P.D. sequel was revealed by the Motion Picture Association who confirmed an official rating for “R.I.P.D. 2: Rise Of The Damned” in their weekly release of new film ratings. Officially Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, language, disturbing images and some crude/sexual references, the film’s listing also confirmed why we haven’t heard about this movie just yet, it’s a direct-to-video feature from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Details haven’t been officially announced but an IMDB page for the film exists Paul Leyden listed as the director and Richard Fleeshman, Jake Choi, Kerry Knuppe, and Stephanie Levi-John listed as being in the cast. Naturally, Reynolds is nowhere to be found.

The tactic of doing soft-reboots and sequels to feature films via the direct-to-video market is a pretty common strategy for Universal Pictures. In the past they’ve taken potential movie franchises like Tremors, Scorpion King, and even Chucky, and produced multiple entries in this format, sometimes leading to major success (Chucky). 

RIPD was based on the comic book series by Peter M. Lenkov and Lucas Marangon, it starred Reynolds as Nick Walker, a former police officer that becomes a member of the RIPD, essentially cops/bounty hunters for the deceased. The film was a pretty profound failure upon release, grossing just $75 million worldwide on a reported budget of at least $130 million. On Rotten Tomatoes’ the critical consensus calls it ” too dim-witted and formulaic to satisfy.”