Writer and Creator Lee Child calls Alan Ritchson the ‘right guy’ for shouldering weight of Jack Reacher in Amazon original series Reacher
Last February, Prime Video released one of its highly anticipated original shows, Reacher, starring Alan Ritchson. The show debuted to both rave reviews and huge streaming numbers —it became Amazon’s first show ever to top Nielsen’s streaming ratings, prompting the makers to greenlight it for a second season. In the much-awaited second season, which is based on Bad Luck and Trouble, the eleventh book in Lee Child’s best-selling Jack Reacher series, Reacher is pulled out of his drifter lifestyle to reunite with three of his former teammates-turned-chosen-family to investigate who has betrayed them—and who will die next. Using his inimitable blend of smarts and size, Reacher will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and protect the members of his unit.
Writer and creator of the Jack Reacher novels, Lee Child recently opened up about the interesting premise of his novel, where the protagonist changes his setting with each new installment. “I want something new every time. I don’t want to be trapped into one particular lane or channel. I didn’t want him to be a cop in a certain city, or a private detective in another city. I wanted him to be able to go anywhere and do anything. So, there’s a lot of advantages in that every season will be new and fresh, and a whole different context of storytelling.”
Sharing how his selection for Jack Reacher was a meticulous process, Lee added, “My preference for any of these processes is to be very careful about who you choose. And we put a lot of thought into the casting; it was super important. I mean, obviously, Reacher is the title of the entire series. Reacher the character carries all the weight. So, it was incredibly important we got the right guy, and I’m confident that we did. And having gotten the right guy, what I believe is you let them get on with it. You don’t fuss, you don’t prompt, you don’t nag at them. They need the confidence that they can just be the character without worrying about what I think. Alan and I are super friendly — we have a good time. Most of it is trash talking, to be honest, in that sort of jocular way. But I need him to feel secure, that I trust him that he can do what he needs to do without worrying about it.”
“Because the story of Season 2 is Reacher is back together with his old unit — the people whom he worked with so intimately and so intensely. So, it was really important that immediately we had that ensemble feel from the very first minute. And actors are so talented that they have possibly never met each other before that day, but immediately, they look like best friends. That is their talent. And that was what was important, and that’s what we see on the screen.”
Reacher Season Two stars Alan Ritchson in the title role of Jack Reacher, along with Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, and Shaun Sipos as key members of the 110th MP Special Investigations Unit. The eight-episode season will roll out weekly, with the first three episodes premiering on December 15, and subsequent episodes dropping every Friday through January 19, 2024, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.