StarAlan Ritchsondoesn’t want to mess with the magic they’ve got going on withReacher, the blockbuster streaming adaptation ofLee Child’s bestselling novels. The show recently debuted its third season on Prime Video, and Ritchson toldMen’s Journalin an interview that while he’s grateful for the success that it has witnessed and excited for it to continue for several more years, hewouldn’t want the franchise to expand into films. The Reacher novels were previously adapted intotwo theatrical movies starringTom Cruiseas the central character. Prime Video also produced a show based on the Jack Ryan novels and is set to release a film spin-off as well.
Ritchson said thateight-episode seasons are the perfect way to adapt Child’s books, and that a movie might not do them justice. “I can’t speak to movies. I enjoythe format that we’ve gotso 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,” he said, adding, “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 aroundReacherthroughout the year. I’m happy with the way things are.”
Ritchson said that spinning the streaming series off into a movie would perhaps be doing “a disservice” to the source novels, which feature the mysterious drifter who wanders in and out of 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, having recently returned as the hulking character for the third time. The latest season of Reacher debuted on February 20 topositive reviews— it currently holds a “fresh” 98% rating on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes— and concluded on March 27.
Tom Cruise’s Film Series Didn’t Impress Fans
Previously,the two theatrical movies starring Cruise grossed a combined total of over $350 million worldwide. While the first film was directed byChristopher McQuarrie, paving the way for them to collaborate on a string of Mission: Impossible movies, the second film,Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, was directed byEdward Zwick. Both movies earned mixed-to-positive reviews but drew criticism from the books' fans, who never quite bought Cruise as the character.Child has also saidthat Cruise didn’t match his vision for Reacher, who is described as a daunting physical specimen. Thefilm franchise ended on an unfortunate note, but thestreaming series will expand with a fourth season and a spin-off titledNeagley.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
When retired Military Police Officer Jack Reacher is arrested for a murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen and scheming politicians. With nothing but his wits, he must figure out what is happening in Margrave, Georgia. The first season of Reacher is based on the international bestseller The Killing Floor by Lee Child.
