Alan Ritchson, the star of Reacher, wants to keep the magic of the hit streaming series intact. The show, based on Lee Child’s bestselling novels, recently launched its third season on Prime Video. In an interview with Men’s Journal, Ritchson shared his gratitude for the show’s success and his excitement for its future. However, he’s not in favor of turning the franchise into movies.
While Reacher was previously adapted into two films starring Tom Cruise, Ritchson believes the series should stay as a show. Meanwhile, Prime Video, which also created a Jack Ryan series, is planning a movie spin-off for that franchise. Ritchson believes that eight-episode seasons are the ideal way to bring Child’s books to life, as a movie might not do them justice. He explained:
I can’t speak to movies. I enjoy the format that we’ve got so much, and it works so well where we do a book a season. I think eight episodes seem to be the perfect amount of time to break out a book. I don’t know if I’d fight for films. I like being able to weave in what feels like two, three, or four films around Reacher throughout the year. I’m happy with the way things are.
He also shared that he isn’t pushing for films, saying,Advertisement
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Ritchson believes that turning the streaming series into a movie might not do justice to the original novels, which follow the mysterious drifter as he gets involved in high-stakes investigations. “Reacher is part of my life once a year, and there’s no end in sight for me. Amazon’s super committed to this, and we’re going to keep going for a long time,” he said after reprising his role for the third time. The latest season of Reacher premiered on February 20 to strong reviews, earning a 98% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and wrapped up on March 27.
The two Jack Reacher movies starring Tom Cruise earned over $350 million worldwide. The first film, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, led to his later collaborations with Cruise on multiple Mission: Impossible movies. The sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, was directed by Edward Zwick. While both films received mixed-to-positive reviews, they faced backlash from fans of the books, who felt Cruise didn’t fit the role. Even author Lee Child admitted that Cruise didn’t match his vision of Reacher, who is described as a physically imposing figure. Though the film series ended on a disappointing note, the Reacher streaming series is moving forward with a fourth season and a spin-off titled Neagley.