Will There Be A Ride Along 3?
The "Ride Along" movies may have treaded familiar ground laid by such genre hits like "Lethal Weapon," "Rush Hour," and "48 Hours," but they soared thanks to the comedic chemistry between the films' two co-stars, Kevin Hart and Ice Cube. The first "Ride Along" movie follows Ben Barber (Hart), a security guard aiming to become a police officer. He also wants to impress and bond with his brother-in-law, the serious undercover detective James Payton (Cube), so Ben joins James on a ride-along that becomes anything but quiet and simple. "Ride Along 2" ups the ante by placing Ben and James together again, but in the bustling city of Miami.
While critics may not have been kind to the "Ride Along" movies (both have critical scores below 20% on Rotten Tomatoes), they certainly won at the box office. According to Box Office Mojo, the first film in the series grossed $150 million worldwide against a budget of just $25 million. And while the sequel pulled in less cash than the first movie, grossing $124 million worldwide, it still made a huge profit against its $40 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).
It may have been several years since the last "Ride Along" movie, but with such commercial success and guaranteed comedic hijinks from Hart and Cube, "Ride Along 3" is definitely in development, right?
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube's schedules are getting in the way
According to Variety, the development of "Ride Along 3" started back in 2016 after the release of "Ride Along 2." The outlet noted at the time that screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi were working on the script with director Tim Story. All three worked on the first two films.
A few years passed before there were any updates on "Ride Along 3," but in 2018, the movies' producer Will Packer gave one during an interview with Metro US. Packer revealed that while the script was still being worked on, the most significant production issue was Kevin Hart and Ice Cube. "We haven't locked in on the script just yet. And Ice Cube and Kevin Hart are both extremely busy, so we'll see. I've got to find the time," he said. "I've got to sew both of those guys down in order to make that movie."
Hart and Cube have definitely remained busy since "Ride Along 2." Per the International Business Times, Hart found time to celebrate the release of his latest film "Fatherhood" by literally swimming with some sharks. Hart is also slated to voice a character in the upcoming "DC League of Super Pets" and star in the movie adaptation of "Borderlands." Meanwhile, Cube has been working on "Last Friday," the much-anticipated latest movie in the "Friday" franchise. (However, the Wall Street Journal reports an ongoing dispute over the film between the actor-rapper and WarnerMedia.)
Everything considered, "Ride Along 3" is still in development, but with Hart and Cube involved in so many other things, fans may have to wait a bit longer for its release.