‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ will premiere May 12th on Disney+.
Preview:
Jon Bernthal has confirmed the title and date for his ‘Punisher’ special episode.
‘Punisher: One Last Kill’ will land on Disney+.
The show is due on May 12.
While Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle –– AKA the vigilante called The Punisher –– was a factor in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’s first season, he’s not so involved in the second.
What’s the story of ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’?
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Co-written by Bernthal and filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green (who directs), the special’s storyline has yet to be officially confirmed, but there is a logline floating around: “As Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge, an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight.”
So take that for what you will!
When will ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ head to Disney+?
We do at least have some official details on when the new special episode will land on Disney+ – May 12.
‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ will premiere May 12th on Disney+.
Movies and TV Shows Featuring Characters in ‘Daredevil: Born Again:’
Arriving on Disney+ on March 11 with the first episode of its second season (with the remaining seven arriving weekly) is ‘Daredevil: Born Again’, which brings back lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) has he battles the powerful Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who is ruling New York as mayor with an iron fist.
The first season of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ was a largely successful attempt to fully incorporate Daredevil and his nemesis Wilson Fisk into the MCU with their own storyline. Though it suffered from some very apparent seams as the behind-the-scenes team attempted to rescue an unsuccessful first effort with new material, it still provided some superior entertainment.
The second season doesn’t have the same collision of creative vision, but it does have its own challenges.
Dario Scardapane takes full control of the season this year, and is clearly happy to be unleashed. The action is brutal in places, the dialogue often crackles and the storyline is much smoother.
Still, there are issues: at times the momentum lags, and not every plotline outside of the main clash between our central hero and villain works.
Directorially, with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead leading the team, the show still looks great, with moody scenes, excellent fights and some inventive connective tissue (such as a series of videos mocking Fisk).
Cox and D’Onofrio know exactly what they’re doing at this point, and if the script doesn’t always keep up with them, they make the most of their material.
Outside of them, the likes of Deborah Ann Woll, Genneya Walton and particularly new guest star Matthew Lillard are all strong, Lillard in particular excellent as the mysterious Mr. Charles, who is by turns funny and threatening.
The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen may not have worked out all of his issues, but the second run of ‘Born Again’ certainly offers enough to please fans of the character. And with Season 3 already shooting, we know more will be on the way.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 receives 72 out of 100.
What’s the plot of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2?
Mayor Wilson Fisk crushes New York City underfoot as he hunts down public enemy number one, the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante known as Daredevil.
But, beneath the horned mask, Matt Murdock will try to fight back from the shadows to tear down the Kingpin’s corrupt empire and redeem his home. Resist. Rebel. Rebuild.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ will return for a third season.
Charlie Cox stars as Matt Murdock/Daredevil.
Vincent D’Onofrio is also expected to be back as the Kingpin.
Despite a troubled development process, which included scrapping footage and hiring a new showrunner, the Marvel/Disney+ series ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ arrived to praise and solid viewing figures this past March.
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The show, which saw the return of Charlie Cox as superpowered blind lawyer Matt Murdock (who also battles crime as costumed vigilante Daredevil) and Vincent D’Onofrio as powerful crime figure Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk effectively continued the story from the Netflix‘Daredevil’ series, albeit this time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Despite comments from Cox in July (see more on that below), Brad Winderbaum, head of streaming, television and animation at Marvel Studios, confirmed the third season renewal in an interview with IGN.
‘Born Again’ follows Fisk who goes from being a gangster to a NYC autocrat mayor. Matt falls in love with therapist Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), but she winds up becoming an ally in the Fisk administration.
Season 2 will see the return of Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones character. Also in the Season 1 finale, Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle/Punisher returned and, in the very end, broke out of Fisk’s Red Hook jail.
In addition to the next two batches of Daredevil, the Punisher character will appear in his own one-off special co-written by and starring Bernthal and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. It’s been shot but has yet to confirm a premiere date.
What did Cox and D’Onofrio say about the chances of a third season?
While a second season had already been ordered (and shot for a 2026 launch), Cox in a statement at GalaxyCon seemed to indicate that it would serve as the final season.
Yet that was reportedly taken out of context and for his part, D’Onofrio took to social media to say:
“Good chance there will be a third [season].”
When will ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 be on screens?
While Season 2 is due next year, Season 3 won’t shoot until around the same time, so we can expect it to launch in early 2027.
Tom Holland arrives on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Credit/Provider: Phil McCarten / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: A.M.P.A.S.
Preview:
Tom Holland has suffered a mild injury on the ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ set.
He had a fall while performing a stunt.
The movie’s release date is not affected.
It’s the sort of incident to generate a “Web-Slinging Menace Comes To A Sticky End” headlines on the front page of the Daily Bugle and for J. Jonah Jameson to hope the “vigilante” had some sense knocked into him.
But yes, Spidey, AKA Peter Parker, or rather Tom Holland, the actor who plays him in the MCU, has suffered a mild concussion after a stunt went wrong on the Pinewood, England set of new outing ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.
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According to Deadline’s reporting on the accident, Holland was performing a stunt and had a fall. He was taken to a local hospital and examined but not admitted, with instructions to rest and recuperate.
Since the movie’s shooting schedule included a lot with Holland (naturally), director Destin Daniel Cretton and the Marvel team have opted to shut down shooting for a week to let the actor get better.
Destin Daniel Cretton (director, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
Given that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ changed things in a huge way for Holland’s Peter–– as you’ll likely recall, it ended with a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of him so as to protect the people he loves –– the storyline going forward is naturally something of a mystery.
We do at least know that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who contributed to or wrote the previous three Spider-outings, are back on board for this one.
Who else will appear in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’?
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Even with Peter’s changed situation, the likes of MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) are still likely to return.
Yet with ‘Stranger Things’Sadie Sink’s casting earlier this year, that throws an interesting wrinkle in –– what if the plan is for MJ and Ned to have smaller roles while a new supporting cast rises to importance in Peter’s life?
Sink’s role being kept under wraps, and the studio will look to have it that way as long as possible.
Elsewhere, ‘The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas has also scored a role in the movie, but her character is also a mystery for now.
When will ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ be in theaters?
While you might think a production pause could have a knock-on effect to the movie’s release, we’re told that’s not the case and it’s on track to still arrive on July 31st, 2026.
Destin Daniel Cretton (director, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
Movies and TV Shows Featuring Spider-Man Characters:
In keeping with much of the other new casting (more on that below), we don’t yet know what role Tillman will be playing –– whether it’ll be a Marvel character, someone new, or the usual MCU spin on someone from the comics.
Destin Daniel Cretton (director, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
Given that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ changed things in a huge way for Holland’s Peter–– as you’ll likely recall, it ended with a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of him so as to protect the people he loves –– the storyline going forward is naturally something of a mystery.
We do at least know that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who contributed to or wrote the previous three Spider-outings, are back on board for this one.
Who else will appear in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’?
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Even with Peter’s changed situation, the likes of MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) are still likely to return.
Yet with ‘Stranger Things’Sadie Sink’s casting earlier this year, that throws an interesting wrinkle in –– what if the plan is for MJ and Ned to have smaller roles while a new supporting cast rises to importance in Peter’s life?
Sink’s role being kept under wraps, and the studio will look to have it that way as long as possible.
Elsewhere, ‘The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas has also scored a role in the movie, but her character is also a mystery for now.
(Left) Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Smart Hulk in Disney+’s ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.’ (Right) Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
Mark Ruffalo is aboard ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.
Destin Daniel Cretton is directing.
Tom Holland is returning to star as the titular web-crawler.
Looks like Peter Parker has another patriarchal figure headed his way.
How the Hulk fits into the story remains to be seen –– with the likes of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher around, Peter will likely need some help. And who knows whether there will be some conflict between Peter and Bruce themselves before everything is resolved?
Destin Daniel Cretton (director, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
Given that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ changed things in a huge way for Peter Parker –– as you’ll likely recall, it ended with a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of him so as to protect the people he loves –– the storyline going forward is naturally something of a mystery.
We do at least know that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who contributed to or wrote the previous three Spider-outings, are back on board for this one.
Who else will appear in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’?
Even with the spell affecting Peter, MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) are still likely to return.
Yet with ‘Stranger Things’Sadie Sink’s casting earlier this year, that throws an interesting wrinkle in –– what if the plan is for MJ and Ned to have smaller roles while a new supporting cast rises to importance in Peter’s life?
Sink’s role being kept under wraps, and the studios will look to have it that way as long as possible.
Elsewhere, ‘The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas has also scored a role in the movie, but her character is also a mystery for now.
And thanks to the Reporter’s story, we also know that Michael Mando, the ‘Better Call Saul’ actor who cropped up in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ as Mac Gargan, the civilian version of Spidey villain Scorpion, so he’ll also be causing problems.
Finally, we got our first proper look at Holland in his new Spidey suit –– obligatory joke here about it being an official studio video and not a leak from the actor himself…
When will ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ be in theaters?
With cameras now rolling. ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ will swing into theaters on July 31st, 2026.
Thanks to some recent release date shuffles, the movie will be the next MCU entry, ahead of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, which is now scheduled for December 19th, 2026.
Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Movies and TV Shows Featuring Spider-Man Characters:
(Left) Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Photo: Marvel Studios. (Right) Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
Jon Bernthal is boarding ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.
Destin Daniel Cretton is directing.
Tom Holland is returning to star as the titular web-crawler.
This casting is a happy full circle moment for Holland and Bernthal; the duo were working on the 2017 movie Pilgrimage when preparing to audition for their Marvel roles, and helped each other with their audition tapes.
Destin Daniel Cretton (director, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
Given that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ changed things in a huge way for Peter Parker –– as you’ll likely recall, it ended with a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of him so as to protect the people he loves –– the storyline going forward is naturally something of a mystery.
Here’s what Holland said to The Hollywood Reporter about the movie:
“The first few meetings were about, ‘Why would we do this again?’ And I think we found the reason why.”
What is that reason? It’s only known to those involved with the movie right now and soon to anyone who talks to Tom Holland if his talent for divulging spoilers accidentally continues to hold.
We do at least know that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who contributed to or wrote the previous three Spider-outings, are back on board for this one.
Who else will appear in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’?
Even with the spell affecting Peter, MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) are still likely to return.
Yet with ‘Stranger Things’Sadie Sink’s casting earlier this year, that throws an interesting wrinkle in –– what if the plan is for MJ and Ned to have smaller roles while a new supporting cast rises to importance in Peter’s life?
Sink’s role is a mystery, one that Marvel and Sony will look to keep that way as long as possible.
But speculation has already begun, with a few potentials floating out there.
Sink could be playing Jean Grey, the hugely powerful mutant character from the ‘X-Men’ comics who has enjoyed a variety of storylines in the pages and on screens, including the memorable “Dark Phoenix” arc.
The X-Men, are, of course, the next big group for Marvel to incorporate into the MCU and we’ve already seen examples of them in the dimension-spanning likes of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’‘The Marvels’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ though none have been pointed up as the official versions of the characters to make the leap to Earth-616.
Using the new ‘Spider-Man’ movie to introduce one or more characters could work, as the Marvel team has a history of seeding new recruits in other movies.
But if the focus is more on Peter’s story, there’s a chance that Sink might be Gwen Stacey, another famous love interest for our hero, who has appeared in other Spider-stories. Another option is Felicia Hardy, AKA Black Cat.
And, of course, Sink’s red hair could make her a natural fit for classic Peter partner Mary Jane Watson, but with Zendaya’s MJ (albeit not using the same name) filling that role, it seems unlikely.
Elsewhere, ‘The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas has also scored a role in the movie, but her character is a mystery for now.
Bernthal has been the small-screen version of Marvel’s Frank Castle –– AKA vigilante character The Punisher –– since he showed up on the Netflix version of ‘Daredevil’ back in 2016.
Since then, he’s appeared in his own eponymous spin-off show, which ran on the streaming service between 2017 and 2019, then came a break until he was brought back in to the fold for this year’s Disney+ continuation series ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’
The story is under wraps for now, here’s what Brad Winderbaum, head of Marvel Television, told EW about it:
“It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story. It’s so exciting.”
A bigger question for The Punisher in the world of Spider-Man is how his grittier, more violent tone will fit with the family friendlier feel of Spidey and co.
When will ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ be in theaters?
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ will swing into theaters on July 31st, 2026.
Thanks to some recent release date shuffles, the movie will be the next MCU entry to follow ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’, which lands on July 25th.
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Movies and TV Shows Featuring Spider-Man Characters:
(L to R) Daniella Pineda and Cynthia Addai-Robinson star in ‘The Accountant 2’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Daniella Pineda about their work on ‘The Accountant 2’, Addai-Robinson’s reaction to the screenplay, how her character has changed since the first film, if she knew there would be a sequel when she shot the original, working opposite Affleck and Bernthal this time around, and if she’s ready for ‘The Accountant 3’, while Pineda discussed joining the franchise, her love for the original, shooting her fight scenes, acting opposite Oscar winner J.K. Simmons, and working with director Gavin O’Connor.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Addai-Robinson and Pineda, as well as Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal and director Gavin O’Connor.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Moviefone: To begin with, Cynthia, Ben Affleck has said that he thinks your character is the real protagonist of this film and that he is more like a “character actor”. Do you agree with that and what was your first reaction to the sequel taking that approach?
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: It’s interesting, if you think about the character of Marybeth Medina, I feel like she’s very much the audience’s eyes and ears in this story. You’re following along with her as she must essentially solve this puzzle, solve this mystery that really in his final moments, she’s enlisted again by J.K. Simmons, his character Ray King. I think even for Ray King, he understands that “There are two people I can entrust that I think are going to be able to figure this out. Marybeth is one of them, and of course the accountant is the other.” Really her recruiting and pulling him in to help, it’s very much initially a reluctant partnership. Then once he brings his brother Brax along, Jon Bernthal, it’s like, “Now I’m having to navigate this with these two people that I don’t really know what to expect once I bring them on.” It is true that she essentially is the through line and you’re following her journey as she tries to understand the particulars of this case.
MF: Daniella, what was it like for you to join this franchise and work with this cast?
Daniella Pineda: I think the coolest part about it was if you get to sign onto a project that you yourself sought out as a fan, I saw the first one in theaters in 2016 and I loved it, and I was like, “Oh man, I hope they would come out with a second one.” That was weird to be a fan of something and then you’re like, “I’m going to be in it. This is awesome.” They left it largely a mystery once I was cast. I was not aware that the film centered around this character. I just thought it was more of a supporting role and you’re in and out. I was so surprised when I read how much she’s a part of the story.
Daniella Pineda attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
MF: Cynthia, did you have a sense making the first movie that a sequel was possible?
CAR: You’re always hopeful. I think certainly the intention from the creatives at the top was, “If this works, it would be great to continue telling this story.” I think when you’re an actor brought on board, unless you’re directly involved as say Ben obviously is a more hands-on with this, you’re just hoping and never assuming. Obviously, it took a lot longer I think than anybody would’ve ideally liked with eight years passing from when we finished the first movie to now bring this. But it always felt like there’s more story to tell. The way the first movie ends, you feel like you want to see what happens to these characters. Where do they go from here? What does life look like for them? We’ve taken the same time jump, eight years in real life and nine years in the story. It’s nice because we get to not only progress the characters, but tonally the movie is completely different from the first one. The first one’s an origin story. It’s a little bit more serious and grounded in tone. This one we just get to have fun with it and change up the genre a bit.
MF: Daniella, can you talk about shooting the fight sequences?
DP: We were lucky, Cynthia and I were both lucky in that most of our fight sequences happened at the end of production. We had the duration of the movie to build up and train for that. We took Muay Thai classes outside of rehearsal, which was interesting. Cynthia has a mean kick. It was a surprise to me. But I have a movie kick that’s pretty good. It was trying and it was exhausting at times, but I love the way it turned out. Muay Thai was very different for me. I messed my foot up during a rehearsal toward the end, and I got so scared, like, “Oh my God, I broke my foot right before the fight.” But thankfully it worked out. I think it took us two days to shoot that fight sequence, two or three days, and it was so much fun.
MF: Cynthia, how has Medina changed since the first film?
CAR: She’s a grownup. I think there was in the first movie, both for Marybeth and for myself, a bit of a like, “Let me just keep my head down, do my job, don’t mess up, and don’t draw attention.” I think for Marybeth, there wasn’t necessarily a level of say, career ambition, it was just about doing a good job and serving justice. I think she’s very much led by her moral compass in putting away the bad guys, so to speak. Now here she is in a more elevated position, she’s deputy director and she’s essentially like the new Ray King. Again, J.K. Simmons character has passed the baton to her. That sense of this secret that she carries, which is she gets a leg up, she gets this information, she gets these tips, and would she have gotten there without it? Would she be able to get to that same position if she was just working hard? I love that there is that sense of a bit of imposter syndrome. You see her in the beginning of the movie literally sitting in the boss’s chair, and who she is in the beginning of the film and who she’s at the end I think there’s a beautiful arc and a real change, I think for her.
MF: Daniella, can you talk about your character’s relationship with Raymond King and what it was like working with J.K. Simmons?
DP: I was delighted to get a sit-down scene with Oscar winner J.K. Simmons. This is not a shocker. He is a very, very, very good actor. I am of the belief that I think that other actors make you a better actor, not necessarily directors. When it comes time to who you’re looking at and performing and bringing it, he’s one of those actors that like, “I really have to come correct today.” We meet them in a mysterious way. We don’t know why he’s so deeply intrigued by her or why he’s calling her out or how he even got a hold of her. But he seems so desperate to speak to her like he’s been fishing, and he finally has the catch. It’s a little bit under mysterious circumstances and sad ones, unfortunately for J.K.
MF: Cynthia, you didn’t have any scenes with Ben or Jon in the first movie, what was it like getting to act opposite them this time around?
CAR: It was like this lovely meeting of the minds both for the reality of, “Great, I get to work with these actors that I have not worked with before, even though we were in the same movie.” For those characters and seeing, “What exactly is going to happen? What happens when you put these three very different characters who are all very strong in their individuality and in their way of doing things and their perception of things, what happens?” I think what I love about this movie, and I’ve been hearing from a lot of people is there’s so much comedy to be mined from that uncomfortable situation. Uncomfortable for the characters, not uncomfortable for me or for us, but again, there is that sense of, “These characters are all circling each other, trying to make heads or tails of things.” For Marybeth especially, it’s like, “These guys are dragging me down into the gutter. This is not my way of doing things.” We had a lot of fun with it. I think when you see on the page that there’s something humorous and funny without overplaying it, I think you want to play to the truth of the situation, but you know that there’s a chuckle to be had and you can keep it loose and you can try for things. Gavin O’Connor, our director, was great at allowing for that, creating that environment where it’s like Jon’s throwing out some improvised lines, and Ben’s reacting in real time. I’m just watching the ping pong match. We just had fun with it. I think that sense of fun and play translates to what the audience experiences. Again, there’s a lot of laughs to be had on this sequel.
MF: Daniella, what was it like working with director Gavin O’Connor?
DP: It takes a very talented director to be able to pull off what is being hailed as arguably a better sequel. The first movie is great, but the second one, a lot of people are saying, “The second one’s better.” That takes a very talented director to be able to pull that off. I think he established the world in the first film, and then he was able to, in a very skillful way, bring out the humor and all these goodies all along. But I feel like he’s always in front of the monitor and he’s like, “I don’t know. Do I believe this? Is this believable?” Everything must be believable and must convince him. As an actor, it was so lovely to be able to work with a director who put so much trust in me and I took some liberties. I asked for her to be blonde, and Gavin was like, “Yeah, sure, okay.” I thought he was really going to fight me on that. It’s so funny the things that he graced and the other things where he knew what he wanted, but it was a wonderful balance. I loved working with him.
MF: Finally, Cynthia, are you open to making ‘The Accountant 3’ if the opportunity comes your way?
CAR: Yes, I’m very open to that. We’re getting asked that all the time. I feel like I’ve heard Gavin say as much that a trilogy to really tell the story and with each version of the movie again, give a different experience for the audience, if the audience wants it, I think it’s very much there. When this movie ends, same thing, you’re like, “What happens to these characters? Where do they go from here after everything that happens, after everything unfolds, where do they go from here?” If you still want to know that, if you still care about the fate of these characters, then, I think a third one, let’s go. Let’s do it.
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What is the plot of ‘The Accountant 2’?
When someone close to her is killed by unknown assassins, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive — all intent on putting a stop to their search.
(L to R) Allison Robertson, Ben Affleck, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lynette Howell Taylor, Gavin O’Connor, Daniella Pineda and Jon Berthal attend the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
2016’s ‘The Accountant’ was an offbeat thriller about an autistic man named Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), whose brilliance with numbers has led him to become a forensic accountant for criminal organizations looking to find theft in their ranks, while he fronts as a legitimate public accountant and acts as an undercover mole for the U.S. Treasury. Featuring a strong central performance from Affleck, a terrific supporting cast, and a quirky blend of action, drama, and humor, ‘The Accountant’ scored well enough with audiences to put a sequel in motion.
Some nine years later, ‘The Accountant 2’ has arrived, with Affleck, co-stars Jon Bernthal and Cynthia Addai-Robinson, director Gavin O’Connor, and writer Bill Dubuque all returning. The results are a mixed bag, with the movie intermittently capturing some of the original’s charm by building on the chemistry between Affleck and, as his brother, Bernthal.
But a ridiculously convoluted plot, the addition of a new character almost reminiscent of a Marvel-type villain, and – speaking of Marvel – the expansion of Christian’s support system into something resembling Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, make it clear that the creatives here want to – perhaps unwisely — build this into a superhero franchise of their own.
Eight years after the events of ‘The Accountant,’ Ray King (J.K. Simmons), retired director of the U.S. Treasury financial crimes bureau, is shot dead outside a bar by assassins (don’t holler, it’s right there in the trailer) after a meeting with an unknown woman who only goes by the name Anais (Daniella Pineda). King’s death and the circumstances behind are naturally investigated by his one-time assistant, Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), whose last message from King was to call in Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) – accountant to criminal organizations and FBI mole – to help her figure what shady business their friend was wrapped up in.
The only lead is a photo of an undocumented family of immigrants, who disappeared some years back. Christian, who now lives an itinerant life out of his tricked-out Airstream RV, in turn calls his brother, security expert and professional killer Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help, despite the two not being in touch again for years. As Christian, Brax, and Marybeth delve deeper into what Ray was involved with, they discover he was on the trail of human traffickers – and the woman he was meeting the night he died has her own agenda and bizarre history as well.
What set ‘The Accountant’ apart from most other crime thrillers was the way Christian went about solving problems – as puzzles in math and logic – and the relationship between him and the corporate accountant played in the first film by Anna Kendrick, who’s sorely missed here. That’s replaced by essentially a bromance between the two siblings, and indeed the best parts of ‘The Accountant 2’ are the scenes of simple back-and-forth between the preternaturally calm Christian and the frequently hot-headed Brax.
The scene in which the two share beers atop Christian’s Airstream, talking about their dad, the effect he had on them, and their own fractured relationship – Brax looking for a sign of affection, Christian not able to give it due to his condition – is the best in the film. The second best comes right after that, when Christian and Brax head out to a country bar where Christian abruptly starts line dancing with a woman who’s interested in him, much to Brax’s delight. Although it stops the plot and the film literally in their tracks for 10 minutes, it at least features some of the idiosyncratic vibe of its predecessor.
The brotherly comedy in the movie – which is ramped up here – clashes awkwardly with the grim human trafficking plot at the center of the film, a confusing vortex of plot points that could snarl even a human computer like Christian. There are also increasingly outlandish and indirect nods to superhero cinema, with Christian’s helper at Harbor Neuroscience now a team of a dozen kids, all on the spectrum, who sit at their laptops and can do everything from hack into mobile phones to switch off blocks of traffic lights (where are their teachers?). With backup like that, the Wolff brothers are all but indestructible, even against a kind of super soldier who adds another layer of comic-book mayhem to the proceedings. By the time we get to the standard, improbable (and generic) climactic shootout with the two brothers against an army of thugs, it’s truly difficult to remember how they got there and what the endgame is.
It’s the clash of tones – family melodrama, buddy cop movie, brutal thriller, and Marvel-lite knockoff – that doesn’t add up in the end, making ‘The Accountant 2’ literally less than the sum of its parts. By piling on more, the filmmakers end up with less.
We’re not able to comment directly on the neurobiological accuracy of Ben Affleck’s work – which got a split response from the autism community in the first film – but he and the movie seem somewhat at odds: the literal-minded Christian is used more as the butt of jokes this time out (almost like Dave Bautista’s Drax, to wring another Marvel comparison out of this), while the humor was more organic the first time around. Affleck still acquits himself well enough, though, especially in the scenes between him and Bernthal. His best moments come when we see Christian attempting to push himself past his neurological barriers and not always getting there.
Bernthal is probably the film’s MVP, in the sense that we learn more about him this time out while Affleck’s Christian is already established. One of current cinema’s best tough guys, Bernthal gets the chance to peel away some of the top layers of Brax’s heavily armored personality and reveal the wounded younger sibling underneath. He plays Brax’s need for approval – denied by the boys’ father, he now turns to his older brother for it – beautifully, along with the hurt he feels when he doesn’t get what he yearns for, creating an intense, internal tug of war with his fierce sense of loyalty and brotherly love.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson is once again sort of the audience avatar, meant to smooth over the vagaries of the plot by asking helpful questions of the brothers, but while she does get one brutal fight scene, she’s largely out of the picture by the third act. As for Daniella Pineda, we’ll leave her role spoiler-free except to say that a choice made by the filmmakers late in the game doesn’t make much sense to us. The rest of the cast — villains and thugs – are unremarkable and unmemorable.
We went into ‘The Accountant 2’ with decent expectations, especially because the first movie grew on us and there was a lot of potential in the relationship between the two brothers. And while they do provide the best moments in the movie, the bigger scope pushes this into more generic action/crime territory and loses some of what made the first one distinct.
Sadly, making Christian, Brax, and their confederates into a crimefighting force in all but name means that the franchise will have to go even more blockbuster for ‘The Accountant 3,’ if that film comes to pass. But we kind of wish that the series would find its way back to logic puzzles, corporate shenanigans, and a modest murder mystery – the elements that boosted the good will for ‘The Accountant’ in the first place.
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What is the plot of ‘The Accountant 2’?
When someone close to her is killed by unknown assassins, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive — all intent on putting a stop to their search.
(L to R) Allison Robertson, Ben Affleck, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lynette Howell Taylor, Gavin O’Connor, Daniella Pineda and Jon Berthal attend the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Coming out in 2016, ‘The Accountant’ was the very definition of a sleeper hit. Directed by Gavin O’Connor (‘Warrior’), the film starred Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, an autistic man with a genius for numbers who acts as a financial adviser and forensic accountant for criminal organizations.
Tasked with examining the books for an allegedly legit but corrupt firm, Christian is pursued by Treasury agents Ray King (J.K. Simmons) and Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), while also learning that a hitman on his trail turns out to be his long-estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal).
‘The Accountant’ was a surprise success at the box office, grossing $155 million worldwide off a reasonable $44 million budget, but the movie also had a vibrant afterlife on streaming and home video, which ultimately led to the development of ‘The Accountant 2.’
(L to R) Jon Bernthal and Ben Affleck in ‘The Accountant 2’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
The sequel brings back O’Connor, Affleck, Bernthal, and Addai-Robinson, with the latter three reuniting to investigate the mysterious death of Ray King. Operating on the fringes of the law and the criminal underworld, the trio find themselves dealing with both a human trafficking ring and a lethal new assassin (Danielle Pineda).
With ‘The Accountant 2’ arriving in theaters on April 25th, members of the cast and crew – including Affleck, Bernthal, Pineda, Addai-Robinson, and O’Connor — participated in a virtual press conference that Moviefone had the opportunity to attend, along with other members of the press, and crunch the numbers on ‘The Accountant 2.’
Ben Affleck attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
With the exception of his two-movie stint (plus cameos) as Batman in the now-defunct DC Snyderverse, and brief appearances as Daredevil in the director’s cut of ‘Elektra’ and his ‘Chasing Amy’ character in Kevin Smith’s ViewAskewniverse, Ben Affleck has never played the same character twice until taking on the role of Christian Wolff.
Ben Affleck: The first one – which was successful and I was really proud of — had a longer life in terms of the real-life feedback that I get from people and what movies they mention when they come up to me. So I definitely was aware, “Oh, wow, that movie seems to still be watched.” I think it’s also a function of the fact that streaming really started to take off after this movie. Also, I love this character. I really enjoyed playing it. Gavin and I both very much were drawn to the idea of bringing Jon back and expanding on that because we both were like, “This guy’s fabulous,” and we both felt like there was a lot more to do. Bill (Dubuque, screenwriter) and Gavin spent a lot of time in the intervening years developing and putting together — in a meticulous, detail-oriented, character-driven way that’s quite typical of Gavin — what it could be, because both were quite mindful of not wanting to repeat [the first one]. So everything about it was appealing to me.
2) Gavin O’Connor Didn’t Want To Make The Same Movie Twice
Director Gavin O’Connor says he was very concerned – as Ben Affleck states above – with not just rehashing the first ‘Accountant.’
Gavin O’Connor: There was certain DNA that was important to preserve, and then after that, it was a lot of left turns and just try to refill the tank in a very different way. I in no way wanted to recycle the same thing that we did in the first film, so it was just a matter of how do we just start recreating the character in a way that is putting him on a different journey, integrating Brax, and bringing Cynthia back. We knew the key in the ignition was to kill Ray because I wanted it to be personal for both [Christian and Marybeth]. Most importantly, I just wanted to make a movie that was fun and entertaining and put people in the seats, where they can walk out of the theater and go, “Man, that was a f**king ball. That was a great time at the movies.” That’s really what we were going for.
3) Jon Bernthal Enjoyed Having A New Dynamic With Ben Affleck
Christian and Braxton spend a lot more time together in ‘The Accountant 2,’ and the film not only delves deeper into their backstory but also plays up both the friction and the humor between the two brothers, which Jon Bernthal cites as a major factor in his return.
Jon Bernthal: It was a real thrill for me to get back, and I think with Ben, it just kind of happened that way. I mean, it’s there, but it was very much supported by Gavin to sort of let moments linger and let it exist naturally and play the moments in between the beats. [Ben is] unbelievably funny and, it sounds corny, but he’s just mastered this character in such a way that there’s just so many little moments of truth that are going on that you love, but can also drive you crazy from the right point of view. I feel like I was really let off the leash to have a real opinion about that.
4) They Didn’t Set Out To Make The Sequel Funnier
Gavin O’Connor attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
While there is a lot more humor in ‘The Accountant 2,’ Jon Bernthal notes that Gavin O’Connor “never told us to be funny.” O’Connor says that it wasn’t done on purpose – it just happened that way.
Gavin O’Connor: I don’t think we ever said, “Oh, it has to be funny.” When I say I wanted the movie to be fun and entertaining, I mean, Jon and I had so many sit-downs where we would just dissect the character and the intention in the scene, but once you just put these guys together, both of these guys, their characters are slightly bonkers in certain ways, so if you just let them do their thing, it was such a fertile kind of environment. The reason I think it works is because they weren’t trying to be funny. They were just so ingrained in their characters.
5) Cynthia Addai-Robinson Says She And Her Character Evolved At The Same Time
Cynthia Addai-Robinson attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Coming back to play Treasury agent Marybeth Medina, who is pushed to her limits both legally and physically by her collaboration with Christian and Braxton, Cynthia Addai-Robinson said that she and the character had a similar kind of growth from the first movie to the second.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I think I always viewed Marybeth as sort of the entry point for the audience because she’s observing and seeing all these things unfold around her and reacting in kind. And myself as an actor, same thing. I think back to working on the first movie. I was nervous. I was kind of out of my depth in a way, but just trying to present as if I wasn’t, which I think was a similar type of situation for Marybeth. Here we are eight years later, and Marybeth has evolved, she’s grown, she’s in this sort of elevated position within the Treasury Department, and for myself as a person and an actor, I felt like I had also grown, and it was like, “All right, I’m going to be returning to a situation that’s familiar. I feel a little bit more comfortable, a little bit more confident.” So that was really nice for me to kind of feel like, “Okay, I’m feeling like I can handle what I’m now getting thrown at me,” which is this dynamic with Ben and Jon’s characters and just, again, being that point of entry for the audience. I get to bear witness to all of their shenanigans and be like, “All right, these guys are kind of crazy and they’re also kind of challenging my view of how to serve justice really.”
6) Christian Wolff Is Not The Movie’s Protagonist, Says Ben Affleck
Although his role is right there in the title, Ben Affleck has a theory that somebody else is actually the movie’s main character.
Ben Affleck: The secret of this movie is that Cynthia is the protagonist really. She’s the lead in the movie. She is the entree for the audience, which means we get to play character parts, and there is a kind of relief from not having to carry a certain — there are a whole bunch of expectations and stuff that go with being the lead in the movie because, as Cynthia says, the audience is really projecting themselves onto you. So [Jon and I] are like a dual aggravant in some ways to her, and if you look at the math of the story, it’s about her being brought into this, seeing this person be killed, trying to find out what it was and what she has to go through to get there and the resolution of her story. That’s something that I find very artful and interesting, where this person is the lead of the movie and you have these dual character actors in there. That affords Jon and I the luxury of doing the sort of ‘Odd Couple‘ thing.
7) Daniella Pineda Says This Was Her Most Physically Demanding Role Yet
Daniella Pineda attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Daniella Pineda’s first big break came via a major role in ‘The Vampire Diaries’ TV spinoff ‘The Originals,’ and more recently she has appeared in action-oriented movies like ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ and ‘Plane.’ But she says the role of Anais – a ruthless killer with an enigmatic and ultimately bizarre backstory – was her most challenging yet.
Daniella Pineda: I would say it was definitely next level. I mean, it’s not necessarily a character you see all the time. There is something really compelling about watching a predator do their thing, but at the same time, I felt like there’s more to her. There are more layers there. So she’s not just a stone-cold killer, and it’s the type of role that I would like to see more women get to play. They’re certainly here in the real world. I love to beat the s**t out of Cynthia (laughs). But we were hugging in between takes and it was nice. I got really lucky. I had a good partner.
Gavin O’Connor says the reason the action – which can be quite violent — works in ‘The Accountant 2’ is because the movie spends the time getting the viewer invested in the characters.
Gavin O’Connor: We can cite action movies that are great, but it just feels like the action is in front of the characters. For us, and the same with the girls, we were always coming from characters. What we were always tracking when we got to the third act was, “How are [Jon and Ben] working together? How are they now united?” We knew the stakes, we knew what they wanted, so inside the action and choreography, it was really about the emotional line between the two brothers and how are they going to try to accomplish this together. That was really what the conversations were about. Action isn’t emotional, and no one cares about disposable violence, so it was really evoking emotion because you care about the characters.
9) We Find Out A Lot More About Jon Bernthal’s Brax
While Jon Bernthal’s character, Brax, is a relatively late arrival in the first ‘Accountant,’ he’s in much more of the sequel and we get to discover more about Christian’s tough and fiercely loyal brother.
Jon Bernthal: Brax is really sort of shrouded in mystery in the first one. You really don’t know too much about him, but you have these amazing flashbacks to see how these two boys were raised and what their relationship was with their dad. It really is the crux of what is bothering both of them and what’s really bothering Brax, the roles that we’ve always filled for each other, getting each other’s back, having to be there for each other, and the lack of being there for each other. So it doesn’t culminate just in a gunfight, it culminates in, “Hey, I’m there for you. I’m getting your back, you’re getting mine. We’re joined forever,” and it’s a way, for lack of a better word, of showing how much you love somebody.
10) Ben Affleck Line Dances Onscreen For The First Time
(L to R) Ben Affleck and Jon Berthal attend the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
In one unexpected scene, Christian and Brax take a night off and head to a bar – where the introverted Christian shockingly gets up and begins to line dance with a woman on the crowded floor. Affleck jokes about the scene, “America wasn’t asking for it, but they’re going to get it.”
Ben Affleck: That was one of the fun things about this, the idea that here’s a guy who wants to have a relationship with a woman, and he’s trying to figure out how to do that, how to put yourself out there. He’s not comfortable extending himself, he doesn’t really know how to flirt exactly, like so many of us. It’s not easy for anyone figuring out relationships, particularly the very early part where you’re trying to gauge, “What does this signal mean? Is this person looking at me? Do they like me? Am I going to humiliate myself if I go over there?” What he does is kind of a lovely thing: he uses something that he’s comfortable with, which in that case is the ability to recognize and identify the pattern of line dancing — because it is so structured and patterned — to participate in this. It’s the perfect way that he’s comfortable with standing next to this woman who he’s attracted to and wants to connect with, because it’s kind of like parallel play with little kids. You don’t have to look at somebody and engage them, but you get to be with them and do something next to them, and he finds a way that he’s comfortable doing that. I probably am not going to get a lot more demands for my line dancing work, but it was really fun. I think what’s charming about it, at least I hope, is that it’s somebody putting themselves out there to do something that they’re not necessarily great at, but they’re trying. I mean really, at the end of the day, that’s all any of us can do.
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What is the plot of ‘The Accountant 2’?
When someone close to her is killed by unknown assassins, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive — all intent on putting a stop to their search.
