Anmol Ahuja
Months ago, I told myself that if a third one in Kevin Hart’s and Ice Cube’s unlikely buddy cop comedy happens, it may just be among the thinnest franchises ever. Of course, that would only hold true if the now confirmed third one would follow in on the footprints of the two ‘Ride Along’s preceding it, and not prove to be an exceptional close to a planned trilogy, something I think is highly unlikely. To be fairly honest, neither of the two films in the current ‘Ride Along’ duology are genre defining masterpieces, and neither are they supposed to be.
However, even despite casting any preconceived notions about the films out of the window at the first instant, both the films strictly fell in the “average” category for me. Something that I’d not rush to the theatres to catch the first screening of, but wouldn’t mind it to fill in a lazy Saturday afternoon either. Nothing more, nothing less. Movie commerce has a different story to tell though, and both the films have grossed in more than $270 Million at the global box office against a joint investment of $65 Million, with the unlikely pairing of Kevin Hart with Ice Cube at the centre of it proving to be a huge hit with interested audiences, despite the continuous wave of mediocre looking reviews against the two films.
After a point, a second sequel really was no question. I guess that’s why they say that comedy and buddy cop movies are truly timeless, and it therefore won’t be long before we see another ‘Ride Along’ film in theatres, but how soon? We attempt to look at all the answers we have for the threequel right now. Read on.
Ride Along 3 Plot: What is it about?
The two films preceding the titular threequel had dramatically set or at least focussed overarching plot directions, and since the third film in the franchise has all but been announced now, currently still being written, it becomes increasingly hard to guess what the third film is going to be about, even with the knowledge that it will rely on tried and tested tropes as the previous two films have indicated.
The premise, conflict and resolution of the first ‘Ride Along’ were all in the title of the film, in which an aspiring cop, Ben Barber, must prove his worth to a detective, James Payton, in order to marry his sister, leading the two on a caper ride along, ending with (you guessed it) James eventually warming up to Ben and the latter getting engaged with the former’s sister, along with Ben graduating from the academy and finally becoming a cop.
The second pushed the thin premise further, and culminated in Ben and Angela, James’ sister, getting married after the two narrowly manage to escape a brush-in with a crime lord, a case that the two solve together. With Ben and Angela married, the immediate threat eliminated and James welcoming Ben as a part of his family, yet still retaining the banter and the mischief that defines his relationship with Ben, there is good closure as well as opportunity.
Regular genre tropes tell us that the sequel would bring in a new threat, possibly from James’ past as a police officer, who returns to threaten the briefly tranquil existence of the family. I also fully expect the third film to completely delve into James’ and Maya’s relationship, possibly culminating in their marriage. Expect Hart to comically run into dangerous situations while James busts them out, with the reverse of this situation proving to be just as hilarious. Something also tells me that the third one might see the addition of a great number of new characters with their own subplots, even as the limelight squarely remains focussed on the unlikely cop duo. Director Tim Story has also stated that he would like to see the duo head out to another country for their misadventures, hoping to put them completely “out of their element”, that sure should be fun to see.
The things, characters, relationships and their camaraderie that the two films have been able to set until now, while not exemplary, are especially ripe for a sequel to build upon, but looking at the genericity of the plots, it is really anybody’s guess as to where the franchise could head off into right now. This much is for certain though: the one thing that made the first two films a hit, more than the action comedy and certainly more than the writing, the explosive pairing of Hart and Ice Cube is something that is going to be at the heart of the third one as well. That is frankly the one single draw for me to watch a third one, and perhaps for the makers to, to go ahead with it, apart from of course the exceptional business that the two have been able to carry out. No other details about the plot are known yet, and there has been little update on the film anyway since Tim Story’s announcement back in 2016, but we will update this section as soon as any new information is available.
Ride Along 3 Cast: Who is in it?
Needless to say, the infallible duo of Kevin Hart and Ice Cube will be reprising their roles as the unlikely pair of cops banding together on increasingly comical hijinks. Their timing and chemistry was one of the few winning elements of the first two, so it is not a surprise that they were the first ones to be announced to be reprising their roles. Likewise, even though there is no confirmation yet, it is a given that Tika Sumpter as Angela Payton-Barber and Olivia Munn as Maya Cruz will be reprising their roles from the previous films as the ladies of the franchise.
Ride Along 3 Crew: Who is behind it?
Since the news of the third one being put under development came from the director of the first two ‘Ride Along’ films, Tim Story himself, it is pretty obvious that he’d be in the director’s chair once again and is currently intensively looking at ideas to incorporate into the script for the film. Even though the trail has grown cold for any news on development of the film, this is what he had to say about the development of the film and its script. “We’re writing the script right now, we’re writing away and basically, I’m waiting to see some pages and we’re excited for the idea and what it can be and of course bringing Kevin and Ice Cube back together because they are the greatest odd couple in the world. I’m impatiently waiting for a script to be given to me. We have some great ideas”.
The writing team for the second ‘Ride Along’ film saw Jason Mantzoukas and Greg Coolidge depart from their roles as writers and story developers, even though the latter is still majorly credited for the creation of these characters. The sequel might see them returning to their writing roles, along with Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi serving as writers as with the two ‘Ride Along’ films.
Ride Along 3 Release Date: When will it premiere?
No official word on it yet, but if I am to put a pin in it, one can reasonably enough, expect Ride Along 3 release date to be sometime in 2021, or maybe even 2020 given that the film is able to fast-track its schedule. However, looking at the past performance of the two ‘Ride Along’ films, with both of them opening to excellent numbers in January that is anyway a tough month to get through as far as box office returns are concerned, the January of 2021 window seems like the more likely one here. However, the third film has now been in talks for close to three full years since Tim Story specified that a sequel would be taking place, with little to no noise following it. With all quiet on the Western Front, one can only hope that the delays mean a better script and nothing else.
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