When R.I.P.D. was released in 2013, it was met with terrible reviews (it sits at a dire 12% on Rotten Tomatoes). Despite boasting two impressive leads in Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, the movie grossed only $78 million on a budget of over $130 million, so the potential franchise starter was resting in peace before ever getting the chance for a sequel.
Now, nearly a decade later, a follow-up is on the way.
ComicBook.com has noticed that R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned has been rated by the MPAA and appears to be heading straight to DVD. As you might expect, neither Reynolds nor Bridges will reprise their respective roles, with Richard Fleeshman, Jake Choi, Kerry Knuppe, and Stephanie Levi-John (all relative unknowns) picking up where they left off.
Chick Fight director Paul Leyden is helming the R.I.P.D. sequel and penned the screenplay alongside Andrew Klein (MacGyver).
It's a little surprising that this is the first we've heard of the movie, though you have to believe it probably won't be very good, especially if it's bypassing theaters and doesn't include any noteworthy well-known actors. The R.I.P.D. branding alone should pique interest in the project, though, and we find it hard to believe it will be any worse than the 2013 movie!
Way back in 2015, Reynolds expressed his disappointment with the adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book series, admitting that he didn't think carefully before joining the cast.
"Take "R.I.P.D.," for example: 'Is this a popcorn, bubble-gum romp? Is this a slightly subversive take on zombie culture?'" he said of the questions he should have asked himself before signing on to star. "It was more like, 'Whoa, cool, Jeff Bridges! And there's some jokes in there that really work for me.'"
We're not going to discount R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned before seeing anything from it, and will be sure to keep you updated as we learn more about release plans for the sequel.