Universal Pictures is advancing Ride Along 3 after nearly a decade in development, with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in early discussions to reprise their roles. Director Tim Story and producer Will Packer are also in talks to return, alongside new screenwriter Daniel Gold. The project has gained momentum from Gold's screenplay pitch.
Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, who starred as bickering brothers-in-law in the first two Ride Along films, are in early talks to return for the third installment at Universal Pictures. Deadline reported exclusively that the project is now in early development, with director Tim Story and producer Will Packer also discussing involvement. Variety confirmed that Daniel Gold, known for the Netflix series Workin’ Moms, has been hired to write the screenplay after previous ideas failed to unite the key players over the past decade. Gold's pitch reportedly excited the team, including Ice Cube's Cube Vision, Hart's Hartbeat Productions, and Story's The Story Company, all in early producer talks as well. Packer's latest Universal release, the rom-com You, Me & Tuscany starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page, opens this weekend. The original Ride Along debuted in 2014, grossing $134.9 million domestically and over $154 million worldwide after a strong Martin Luther King Jr. weekend opening of $48.6 million over four days. Ride Along 2 followed in 2016 with $91.2 million domestic and $124.6 million global for a franchise total of about $279 million worldwide. The films follow security guard Ben Barber, played by Hart, proving himself to his girlfriend’s tough cop brother James Payton, played by Ice Cube, during high-stakes patrols first in Atlanta and then Miami. Universal declined to comment.
