The two (soon to be three) “Ride Along” movies heavily rely on the charisma and on-screen chemistry of their two leads to extract cinematic gold from an entertaining, if somewhat formulaic, premise.
A quick-witted high school security guard named Ben Barber falls in love with Angela Payton (played by Tika Sumpter), the sister of undercover investigator James Payton, in the first movie (Ice Cube). The ambitious Barber enrols in the police academy and intends to propose to Angela, but in order to convince James that he is deserving of Angela, Ben is forced to take part in a ride-along, which involves going to work with his future brother-in-law. Ben does not have a quiet day because James is defying his boss’ orders to stop looking into a smuggling case involving a man named Omar.
Ben has graduated from the police academy in the follow-up novel, and his wedding to Angela is just around the corner, but his superiors don’t take him seriously and give him detective work. James is ordered to Miami to track out the violent crime lord responsible for the catastrophe after his companion is hospitalised due to an error made during a vehicle meet. Ben defies orders and follows James to Florida out of a need to take action.
It’s time to speculate about the franchise’s future now that the third movie is reportedly in the works, according to The Wrap. We know who will be in “Ride Along 3,” what the plot might be, and who will be the stars.
When will Ride Along 3 be released?
The third instalment in the “Ride Along” trilogy is formally in motion, but there is no set start date for filming, as stated in the The Wrap article linked above that features an interview with franchise director Tim Story. Since at least 2016, the film has been in the pre-production stage. The two previous films in the series were written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, and they are now working on a third movie’s concept.
However, since 2018, when director Will Packer informed Metro, there has been no update on the film’s status “Yes, the script for it is still being worked on.
We’ll see. Additionally, Ice Cube and Kevin Hart are both quite busy. I must make the time.” Therefore, it is hard to predict when you will be able to see the movie.
Given the time needed for production and editing, “Ride Along 3” probably wouldn’t be available to view until 2023 at the earliest if pre-production work were to be finished today.
Who will star in Ride Along 3?
Ice Cube and Kevin Hart are required to appear in any “Ride Along” sequel, according to Universal Pictures Story and Packer. I assume that both men would enthusiastically support a third film.
According to the interview Story gave to The Wrap, one of the film’s main goals would be to “get Kevin [Hart] and Ice Cube back together because they are the best odd couple in the world.”
Will Packer concurred in his Metro interview: “I’ve have to sew both of those people down in order to make that movie.”
Angela’s reappearance by Tika Sumpter is also probably going to happen. New characters produced for the third movie would likely be the men’s most recent enemies and allies. It would be a franchise-typical move to bring in new faces to join the cast because the other supporting characters from the previous “Ride Along” movies didn’t cross over from film to feature.
What will Ride Along 3 be about?
The movie’s plot has not yet been revealed, which makes sense given that the script is still under progress. It’s likely that Barber would survive to accompany Payton on one of his important police-related missions and end up working alongside his brother-in-law to battle crime. As in the first two films, Angela and Ben are likely to experience some marital difficulties. They may also have to cope with issues pertaining to growing their family.
One of the major online publications Screenrant claims that Story wants the upcoming “Ride Along” to relocate James and Ben to a different nation where they will both, for once, experience cultural misunderstandings, a la action comedy like the “Rush Hour” series. When the series finally moved away from the initial setting of the first movie, it put its protagonists in settings with which they would be least familiar. You’re on the right track if you picture James and Ben attempting to get along with crumpet-eating Britons or negotiating with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Whatever the upcoming “Ride Along” film offers, we can count on a good time.
