Reacher Season 3 Will Be Based On The Best Jack Reacher Book

You don't stop Jack Reacher. I mean, have you seen the size of that guy? And you don't stop his TV series either, since Prime Video has officially confirmed that production is underway on "Reacher" season 3 following the explosive finale of season 2 last week. This is only good news for fans: there was a way-too-long two-year break between seasons 1 and 2 of the brutal, wildly entertaining action series, and with cameras already rolling, that means season 3 will likely arrive sooner rather than later. Perhaps by the end of 2024? Prime's official press release doesn't specify, but it does contain other details to absorb and enjoy.

First of all, "Reacher" season 3 will be based on "Persuader," the seventh novel in author Lee Child's long-running series. This is excellent news. We'll dwell on this momentarily. The release does note that season 3 is filming in Toronto, which means Canada could be doubling for the books' New England locations (unless they've changed up the locations entirely), and that Maria Sten's Frances Neagley will return, although she's not present in the original book. Still, it's easy to imagine how Neagley could fit into the action with a little bit of creative elbow grease. Plus, Sten's chemistry with star Alan Ritchson is second to none. Why waste that?

And finally, there's this brisk synopsis: "Reacher must go undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past."

I'll say this much — that barebones plot synopsis doesn't even hint at the balls-to-the-wall ride that is "Persuader," a book so intense and violent and outlandish that it makes the other typically macho and brutal Reacher books look positively tame. "Persuader" is a lurid masterpiece of an action novel. This is a reason to get excited.

I'm not going to spoil "Persuader" for you, but I do want to dwell on why this is my favorite of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books, and also one that I didn't expect would get the Prime Video adaptation treatment. After a genuinely shocking opening (the series would be wise to stretch out the first big reveal as long as possible), much of "Persuader" takes place in a decrepit, isolated New England manor inhabited by a mysterious criminal, his family, and a small army of bodyguards. For, uh, reasons, Jack Reacher has infiltrated the home and joined the security staff. And then the bodies start piling up because "Persuader" is practically a "Friday the 13th" movie, except Jason Voorhees is a hulking former military police officer turned drifter with a serious grudge. Or, given the old manor setting, think of it as an Agatha Christie murder mystery, where the murderer is also the hero and he's just killing everyone.

It's wild. It's violent. It's the most straight-up uncomfortable a Reacher novel has made me with its violence and action, and I've read most of those books by this point. The thought of seeing it brought to life, and seeing Ritchson take on some of the scenes that linger in my memory, has the darkest parts of my animal brain giddy. "Persuader" wouldn't be my recommendation for a first Jack Reacher book, much like how it would've been a poor choice for a first season. But for a third season? The timing is right. We know this version of Reacher well enough to follow him into the abyss, and the show has had plenty of practice in staging its shoutouts and fights to the death. It's time to see if the show's audience is willing to wallow in the glorious nastiness of my absolute favorite Lee Child book. Bring it on.

"Reacher" seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Prime Video.