A Law & Order star is now appearing in a movie sequel no one expected.
Jeffrey Donovan, who plays Detective Frank Cosgrove on Law & Order, is featured in the trailer for the surprise sequel RIPD 2: Rise of the Damned.
The direct-to-video film, which will debut on Netflix in November, is the unexpected continuation of the 2013 action-comedy RIPD, which starred Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds.
That film was a huge box office flop, making the announcement of a sequel, let alone one already completed, came as a surprise to some websites.
The trailer shows this is actually a prequel with Donovan stepping into the Jeff Bridges role of an Old West lawman turned into a ghostly demon hunter.
This film may show the Law & Order star in a new light, and the trailer has already gained a large following online.
What is RIPD?
The best way to summarize RIPD is to call it “Men in Black meets Ghostbusters.”
Premiering in the summer of 2013, RIPD starred Ryan Reynolds as a semi-corrupt cop who ends up being killed in the line of duty.
He finds himself recruited into a special afterlife police force made up of lawmen who have been killed over the centuries. Their job is to hunt down demonic forces and protect humanity.
Reynolds was paired with Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges), an Old West sheriff who shows him the ropes as they face a demonic conspiracy.
As part of the deal, the living sees these agents in different forms. For example, Roy’s “avatar” was a gorgeous woman played by supermodel Marisa Miller.
The movie was a massive box office flop, grossing less than $80 million on a $130 million budget, and was ravaged by critics. That seemed to kill any chances of it becoming a franchise.
Yet now, shockingly, a prequel film has been made to continue the saga nearly a decade later.
What is RIPD 2 about?
On Thursday, movie websites received the surprising news that not only has a sequel to RIPD been made but had already released both a trailer and the first 8 minutes of the film online.
The film is actually a prequel, with Jeffrey Donovan taking on the role of a younger Roy Pulsipher. The film shows how Roy met his end and was recruited into the RIPD department for his first case.
While there had been some rumors of a possible sequel for several years, almost no one was aware the film was even in production, let alone preparing for a release in just a few weeks. The announcement came along with a synopsis.
“The Wild West has gone to Hell, literally, and the world’s best hope of being saved lies in the gun-slinging hands of Sheriff Roy Pulsipher (Jeffrey Donovan) as he becomes the newest officer for the Rest In Peace Department (RIPD) enforcing the afterlife’s laws. If the Old West was wild while he was alive, wait until Roy sees how weird it gets once he dies. Roy thought joining the RIPD would give him a chance to revisit his daughter and solve the mystery of his murder. Instead, he has his holsters full with havoc and hellfire when he’s given a mission to stop a dangerous demon from opening a portal to the underworld. The fate of the living and the dead now depends on Roy and his partner Jeanne (Penelope Mitchell), a mysterious swordswoman, as cowboys clash with creatures and undead insanity unleashes apocalyptic chaos.”
The trailer shows some of the wild action ranging from the Old West to Roy and his partner taking on some demons.
The movie will be released on Netflix, Blu-Ray and Digital on November 15. While the first film wasn’t a hit, this sequel might end up becoming a cult favorite and give Donovan a bit more attention as he tries to step into Jeff Bridges’ shoes.
RIPD 2: Rise of the Damned premieres on Netflix, Blu-Ray and Digital on November 15. Law & Order Season 22 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.