R.I.P.D. 2: Universal’s under-the-radar sequel earns PG-13 rating

Nine years ago, Universal released a supernatural action comedy called R.I.P.D.: Rest in Peace Department, which didn’t do much at the box office despite starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. Made on a budget somewhere in the $150 million range, R.I.P.D. only earned $78.3 million worldwide. It was considered a bomb… but that hasn’t stopped Universal from making a direct-to-video sequel. Made completely under the radar, the sequel is called R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned – and it has already been screened for the ratings board at the Motion Picture Association, earning a PG-13 rating for “sequences of violence, language, disturbing images and some crude/sexual references“.

According to IMDb, R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned was directed by Paul Leyden (Chick Fight) from a screenplay he wrote with Andrew Klein (Blood, Frets & Tears). Since the film was made in secrecy, a plot synopsis hasn’t made its way online yet.

We do know that Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges didn’t come back for the sequel. The cast listed on IMDb includes Richard Fleeshman (The Sandman), Jake Choi (Single Parents), Kerry Knuppe (Hollywood), Stephanie Levi-John (The Spanish Princess), Craige Els (Doctor Who), Tilly Keeper (EastEnders), Nick Wittman (Mars), Gábor Perei (The Last Kingdom), Rachel Adedeji (Hollyoaks), Robert Jackson (Outside the Wire), Gergo Borbas (The Teacher), Máté Bede-Fazekas (Halo), and newcomer Evlyne Oyedokun.

The first R.I.P.D. was directed by Robert Schwentke from a script crafted by Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi, and David Dobkin, based on a comic book created by Peter M. Lenkov and Lucas Marangon. That movie had the following synopsis:

Veteran lawman Roy Pulsifer (Jeff Bridges) works for the R.I.P.D., a legendary police force charged with finding monstrous spirits who are disguised as ordinary people but are trying to avoid their final judgment by hiding out among the living. When Roy and his new partner, Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds), uncover a plot that could end all life, they must discover a way to restore the cosmic balance or else watch the tunnel to the afterlife start sending angry souls back to the world of the living.

What do you think of R.I.P.D. getting a direct-to-video sequel? Will you be watching R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned? Let us know by leaving a comment below.