Following the success of Gavin O’Connor‘s recent action thriller sequel, The Accountant 2, the director is now moving to a new company for his next project. While the first Accountant movie was distributed by Warner Bros. in 2016, the sequel (which was stalled in development for several years) would find a home at Amazon MGM. An exclusive report from Deadline has revealed that O’Connor has begun early development on Running, a new film that he will direct for Apple Original Films, produced by Apple Studios, Makeready, and Nike. At present, reps for Apple have declined to comment on the story.
Details on the film are scarce, though Deadline describes Running as a story that follows “a running prodigy on the hunt for greatness who uses his gifts to outrun his past and forge his future.” The movie comes from a screenplay written by Bill Dubuque, who is best known for his work on Ozark as an executive producer as well as a “story by” credit. Moreover, Dubuque is also a frequent collaborator with O’Connor, as he wrote the scripts for both of the Accountant movies (and will more than likely write the third film which O’Connor had teased earlier this year).
Although it had almost been a decade since the first Accountant film, the sequel would turn out to be a great success for Amazon MGM. Following its premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest film festival (where it won the Headliner audience Award), The Accountant 2 quickly found an audience both in theaters and on streaming. The Ben Affleck sequel would garner 80 million viewers worldwide in its first 28 days on Prime Video. On top of all that, it also nabbed the number one spot on Nielsen’s Movie chart in its first week on streaming.
Gavin O’Connor is No Stranger to Sports Films
Gavin O’Connor is also no stranger to sports-related stories. Given that Running is centered on a runner and Nike is listed as being one of the producers on the film, it’s safe to assume that the movie will delve into certain aspects of the sport. The Way Back, which was released in 2020 and directed by O’Connor, follows an alcoholic high school basketball coach (Ben Affleck) as he seeks solace from his grief and uses his new coaching job as a way to battle his personal demons. Despite suffering at the box office due to it releasing at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie received positive reviews.
The Way Back earned an 85% “certified fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 215 reviews. Clearly, O’Connor knows how to tell intimate stories against a sports backdrop, and Running won’t be an exception. Still, Deadline’s report is vague and there is not a lot known about the project at present, given that it is in the very early stages of development. Hopefully, the upcoming film comes to fruition and a cast and crew come together soon. It will also be interesting to see if Apple gives the film a theatrical release the same way that Amazon MGM did for The Accountant 2.
- Release Date
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April 25, 2025
- Runtime
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132 Minutes
- Director
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Gavin O’Connor
- Writers
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Bill Dubuque
- Producers
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Ben Affleck, Kevin Halloran, Matt Damon, Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell Taylor, Scott LaStaiti, Michael Joe, Mark Williams, Alison Winter