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Ben Affleck has had a wildly successful career in film as an actor, director, producer, and writer. The Oscar winner recently celebrated the release of The Accountant 2, a follow-up to the 2016 original (which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription). I thought he was pretty hilarious as protagonist Christian Wolff, and now I honestly want to see him in more roles that let him flex those comedic muscles.
Rather than a sequel no one asked for, fans have been calling for The Accountant 2 for years. This is largely thanks to Affleck’s charming performance as Christian, a deadly, autistic accountant who gets involved in wild adventures. While it’s very much an action thriller movie, Affleck is also able to flex his comedic muscles… especially when his protagonist is in uncomfortable social situations. After being tickled throughout my screening of the sequel, I wondered why the 52 year-old actor doesn’t do more comedies.
CinemaBlend’s The Accountant 2 review praised Affleck’s performance in the sequel, and mused on whether or not it actually surpassed the original. The comedic parts of the thriller were highlighted in Christian’s relationship with his brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal). At times, the sequel bordered on becoming a buddy comedy, which might actually be a great genre for this pair of action-heavy stars to collaborate on.
While Affleck is neurotypical, both of the Accountant movies have thoughtfully approached the way Christian’s autism is portrayed. While social situation can help provide comedic fodder, the films aren’t laughing at the character. Instead, they offer some much-needed vulnerability from the wildly effective (and deadly) protagonist of the franchise.
I’d say, by and large, Affleck is known for doing serious movies. Whether it’s his tenure as Batman, Oscar-winning projects like Good Will Hunting, or thrillers like The Town, the multi-hyphenate is mostly known for dramatic film appearances. There are exceptions like his collaborations with Kevin Smith (as well as his scene with Wonder Woman in The Flash), I think he’s been holding out on moviegoing audiences when it comes to his comedic chops.
Of course, Affleck is a very busy person, and his schedule might be better used on non-comedy projects. After all, we’ve seen how that genre has been historically left out by major awards shows. So, perhaps the star has other projects he’s more passionate about.
Aside from his thriving career, the actor/filmmaker has been making headlines thanks to his personal life. Affleck and JLo’s relationship has officially come to an end, and more stories continue coming out about what’s going on behind closed doors.
The Accountant 2 is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list. We’ll just have to see if the long-awaited sequel does well enough that Affleck gets to return once again in a threequel.