RIDE ALONG 2 PosterI’m teasing with the above "Bad Boys 3" reference, but, really, after watching this new trailer, that’s the first thing I thought of. It’s a similar action-comedy pairing, just with different actors; so comparisons are maybe inevitable for better or worse. So while we wait for Will Smith and Martin Lawrence to reteam for "Bad Boys 3" (a project that is in development), check out "Ride Along 2" in January.

After the first film’s mega box office success, grossing over $134 million domestically ($153 million worldwide), on a $25 million budget, it certainly wasn’t a surprise when Universal set Tim Story to once again direct "Ride Along 2," the sequel to "Ride Along," from a script penned by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart returning to reprise their roles. 

The studio set an official release date for the film of January 15, 2016, the Friday that’ll kick off the 3-day Martin Luther King Jr holiday weekend.

Will Packer and Ice Cube’s Cube Vision returned to produce, with a summer 2014 shoot for a movie which, as previously reported, will have more action and will be more multi-cultural, to help it cross over to reach other audiences. In addition to Cube and Hart, Tika Sumpter is also returning. The trio will be joined by Olivia Munn, Ken Jeong, Nadine Velazquez, and Benjamin Bratt to name a few.

New trailer below: