A critically reviled comic book movie, released in the 2010s and starring
Ryan Reynolds, is getting a sequel -- and no, somehow, it's not
Green Lantern.
As reported by
ComicBook, notorious commercial flop and critical failure
R.I.P.D. is getting a sequel.
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned, the decade-late sequel to the infamous 2013 film, was rated by the MPAA, and a few unofficial details have surfaced on IMDB.
The first
R.I.P.D. film, based on a Dark Horse series of the same name by Peter M. Lenkov, was released in 2013. It was a dramatic box office failure, grossing just $78 million worldwide on a budget of more than $130 million. Reviews for the film were not kind, either. At the time,
CBR's Josh Wigler said of the film, "within minutes, I just wanted it to end -- peacefully or otherwise." That sentiment was echoed among other critics, and the movie has since languished in more-or-less complete cultural obscurity.
R.I.P.D. came at a rough time for Reynolds' career as a comic book superhero. It arrived in theaters just two years after the
similarly poorly-received Green Lantern, in which Reynolds took on a considerably more iconic character to more-or-less disastrous effect.
Green Lantern was closely preceded by
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, another critical failure in which Reynolds plays a
guy who is apparently called "Deadpool" despite not acting very much like Deadpool. Eventually, of course, Reynolds would earn a bit more respect with the critically acclaimed and wildly financially successful film
Deadpool (this time starring a character who actually seems to be Deadpool) and its sequel. The merc with a mouth is expected to cross into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe with Deadpool 3.
According to ComicBook, Reynolds will not be returning for
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned, and co-star Jeff Bridges is also out of the picture. The two have been replaced by a cast featuring Richard Fleeshman, Jake Choi, Kerry Knuppe and Stephanie Levi-John.
R.I.P.D. director Robert Schwentke is also absent from the crew, replaced by Paul Leyden. Also missing is any indication of a sequel to the bizarre tie-in video game released alongside the original film, which was published by
Persona and
Shin Megami Tensei developer Atlus.
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