Less than two months after Ride Along was released, the sequel Ride Along 2 is moving full steam ahead, with Universal Pictures handing out a Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend, January 15, 2016 release date. The follow-up is going against The Nut Job 2, which is quite a coincidence since both Ride Along and The Nut Job opened on the same day in January.

We reported last month that Ice Cube and Kevin Hart are reprising their roles as James Payton and Ben Barber from the original comedy, which has earned over $140 million worldwide thus far, after a stellar opening weekend of $41.5 million, which broke the box office record for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The plot centers on Ben Barber, who goes on a ride along through the streets of Atlanta with his fiancee's older brother.

Tim Story is directing from a script by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, with William Packer set to produce alongside Ice Cube, Matt Alvarez and Larry Brezner. No story details have been released, but our report from February indicated the story may have a more multi-cultural appeal, in an effort to reach international audiences. Only $10 million of the comedy's $140 million worldwide take has come from overseas territories. Production is tentatively scheduled to begin this summer.