Ben Affleck first played Christian Wolff in The Accountant in 2016, and despite the film’s mixed reviews from critics, it garnered a following and grossed over $155 million worldwide. The action-packed film featured some exciting twists and turns, including the reveal that Jon Bernthal’s Braxton was Wolff’s brother. Nearly a decade later, Affleck and Bernthal reunite with director Gavin O’Connor for The Accountant 2.

A press conference featuring the trio took place earlier today along with actors Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Daniella Pineda. Addai-Robinson is returning as treasury agent, Marybeth Medina, while Pineda is joining the cast as Anaïs. The discussion comes off the heels of the film winning the audience award at SXSW. During the conference, the director and stars teased a lot more action, a surprising amount of laughs, and even some line dancing…

Affleck talks returning for The Accountant 2

The Accountant 2

To kick things off, Affleck spoke about returning to the role and addressed the fact that he hasn’t made many sequels outside of the DCU. “I was really proud of it,” Affleck explained of the first Accountant. He added that the movie has had a “long life” and that people still bring it up when they approach him.

“Streaming really started to take off after this movie, so people had the opportunity to pick what they wanted to watch,” Affleck explained. “I also just love this character. I really enjoy playing it. Gavin and I both were drawn to the idea of bringing Jon back and expanding on that. ‘This guy’s fabulous,'” he recalled saying. “We felt like there was a lot more to do.”

O’Connor also spoke about staying true to the story while making “a lot of left turns” in the sequel. “I in no way wanted to recycle what we did in the first film,” he explained of his collaboration with screenwriter Bill Dubuque.

The stars also discussed the exciting amount of action performed by the women in the film. Pineda is no stranger to the genre, having appeared in Plane as well as the Jurassic World sequels. “It was definitely next level,” she revealed of her action scenes. “It’s not necessarily a character you see all the time … There is something very compelling about watching a predator do their thing … There are more layers there, so she’s not just a stone-cold killer … I loved to beat the shit out of Cynthia,” she added, making her co-star laugh.

“They trained like crazy,” Affleck said of his co-stars.

fans can expect some intense action, the cast also spoke about the film’s emotional arc.

Addai-Robinson also spoke about experiencing The Accountant 2 with an audience, and how that evoked confidence in the film. “When you hear an audience audibly gasp, then you know you’re doing something right,” she shared.

While fans can expect some intense action, the cast also spoke about the film’s emotional arc. “You can’t lie in a fight,” Bernthal explained. “What you want is right there … Gavin has an appetite and a hunger to go back to what makes these guys tick … What’s so beautiful about this being a second film … [Braxton] was really shrouded in mystery in the first one … [Their brotherly relationship] culminates in sort of, ‘I’m there for you … We’re joined forever.'”

In addition to the action, drama, and intrigue, it sounds like the film will also be a lot of fun. The cast talked about The Accountant 2‘s funnier moments and teased a humourous brotherly dynamic between Affleck and Bernthal.

“He’s unbelievably funny,” Bernthal said of Affleck. “I don’t think we ever said, ‘Oh, it has to be funny,'” O’Connor clarified. “The characters are slightly bonkers in certain ways … The reason I think it works is because they weren’t trying to be funny.”

“Also, Jon took pleasure in torturing me,” Affleck joked. “Which is funny, if it’s not you.”

When it comes to the movie’s lighter moments, fans can expect to see Affleck line dancing. “America wasn’t asking for it, but they’re gonna get it,” the star joked. “I’m probably not gonna get more demands for my line dancing work. The phone hasn’t rung yet.”

“I was so happy watching him dance,” Bernthal shared. “I was like, ‘This scene will never work,” he added, making Affleck laugh. “‘What does this scene have to do with anything?'” he recalled thinking. “It was so good,” he conceded.

In addition to the aforementioned stars, The Accountant 2 will also feature the return of J.K. Simmons as Raymond King, the Director of the Treasury Department’s FinCEN.

Amazon MGM Studios’ The Accountant 2 will be released in theaters on April 25th.