Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) is the sequel to the 1977 smash Smokey and the Bandit. The plot centers around the Bandit, a truck driver played by Burt Reynolds, transporting an elephant to the GOP National Convention with Sheriff Buford T. Justice , played by Jackie Gleason, in hot pursuit once again. Followed by a sequel three years later (minus Reynolds with the exception of a small cameo), Smokey and the Bandit Part 3.