While she may not be back for the next movie, Anna Kendrick might be back for The Accountant 3, according to Accountant 2 director Gavin O’Connor. The Oscar nominee co-starred in the original Ben Affleck thriller as Dana, a young accountant working for the company Ben Affleck’s Chris is hired to audit, with whom he begins forming a bond. Though serving as something of a romantic interest for the тιтular protagonist, it was previously confirmed that Kendrick would not be returning for The Accountant 2‘s cast.

With the film’s release right around the corner, The Direct interviewed Gavin O’Connor for The Accountant 2. When asked about whether Anna Kendrick was ever considered to be in the sequel, the director confirmed she was never set to be part of the story, as he and writer Bill Dubuque wanted to expand on the sibling dynamic between Affleck’s Chris and Jon Bernthal’s Brax. He did, however, tease that the door is very open for her return in The Accountant 3 with the story he has planned. See what O’Connor shared below:

No, it was never—the second film was always for Bill [Dubuque] and I to start to unite the two brothers. Very slowly. They had to start to fix all their s–t, their issues. So, that was always the intention for the second movie. And the third movie, and I wanted to set up that Chris is still looking for love and looking for connection, which I’m going to explore deeper in the third movie. So, don’t be surprised if Dana, Anna [Kendrick] shows up in the third film.

What This Means For Kendrick’s Accountant Future

Chris Is Trying To Grow One Step At A Time

While Kendrick and Affleck’s dynamic was generally well-received in the first movie, The Accountant‘s ending seemingly closed the door on Dana’s future in the franchise. Apart from receiving a gift from Chris of an original Jackson Pollock painting, there was no real promise made on his part to return to her. Instead, the ending did see him promising to reunite with Brax, indicating a desire to try and repair his relationship with his brother.

Up to this point, The Accountant 2‘s marketing has hid whether that meeting ever happened, though it has been clear that the sequel will be focusing largely on the siblings. However, the most recent trailer did see Chris having a few humorous moments regarding the world of dating, including crashing a speed dating event and having a heated moment over a woman in a saloon. As such, O’Connor’s tease that The Accountant 3 will be where Chris starts focusing on his romantic life does seem to have some foundation.

Ultimately, the curiosity will now turn to what the plot reasoning would be for Kendrick to return as Dana in the next film. Both Accountant movies have made it clear Chris is nomadic, due in large part to his fairly criminal profession, so it would seem likely that a job bringing him back to her area could reunite them. Another possibility is, should O’Connor and Dubuque be planning Accountant 3 as being the end of the series, Chris could return to Dana in the hopes of settling down with her.

Our Take On Kendrick’s Potential Accountant 3 Return

The Duo Were A Lot Of Fun In The First Movie

Regardless of how they go about setting up her return, Kendrick appearing in The Accountant 3 would be a very welcome decision after her absence in the new movie. The awkward romantic chemistry between her and Affleck in the first movie made for some welcome levity amid the more serious thrills, and since she seemed so open to connecting with him, I’d like to see how his growth in the sequel impacts their potential reunion.

Source: The Direct