Alan Ritchson Wants Reacher Season 2 To Differ From The Books In One Key Way
"Reacher" season 1 was all about depicting a book-accurate version of the titular military policeman and the world he inhabits. Originally the creation of author Lee Child, Jack Reacher was played by Tom Cruise in 2012's "Jack Reacher" and 2016's "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back." But fans of the original book series weren't happy when the 5-foot-7 star was originally cast. After all, Child had made very clear in his novels that Reacher had a considerable physique, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 250 pounds.
Which is part of the reason why, when it came to the Prime Video show, Tom Cruise was not cast as Reacher. In an interview prior to the first season's 2022 debut, showrunner Nick Santora explained how he and the crew had strived to create, "a genuine Jack Reacher experience," and that, "Lee Child is the compass of this television show."
Which turned out to be a wise choice, considering "Reacher" almost immediately broke records by hitting the top spot on the Nielsen streaming chart. That prompted Amazon to renew the series for a second season just three days after it debuted. In other words, Santora's faithful retelling of Lee Child's first Jack Reacher novel, "Killing Floor," was insanely popular. Alongside Alan Ritchson in the lead role, Willa Fitzgerald and Malcolm Goodwin gave memorable turns as officer Roscoe Conklin and chief of detectives Oscar Finlay respectively. But as anyone who's read the Child novels knows, Jack Reacher is a nomadic figure, never settling in one place for too long and rarely keeping the same people around him from book to book. Which means we're unlikely to see much of Conklin or Finlay when "Reacher" season 2 arrives. That is, unless Ritchson gets his way.
Ritchson wants to see Reacher among friends
"Reacher" season 2 should arrive in 2023 and has been confirmed to be an adaptation of the 11th Jack Reacher novel, "Bad Luck And Trouble." Santora and co. are set to continue their faithful adherence to the books this time around, which means you can expect to see Alan Ritchson's Reacher reunite with his former Army colleague, Neagley (Maria Sten), from season 1. Together, the pair will try to solve the mystery of who is killing their former military police unit comrades.
But that's likely to be the only returning character, as Reacher bid a firm farewell to both Finlay and Conklin at the end of the last season — after the latter gave him her phone number. With Finlay back in Boston, and Conklin launching a political career, the characters are unlikely to make an appearance in season 2, especially if the show does continue to stick to the novels, in which Reacher himself is pretty much the only consistent character. In fact, in the books, Conklin never returns after that first entry in 1997.
But if you ask Ritchson, he'd rather Reacher run into some old friends. As the series lead told Collider:
"I really fell in love with everybody that I worked with [on season 1]. Every cast member, all the way down to day players who are there just for one line, were some of the best actors and actresses that I've ever worked with. Not only that, they were wonderful people too. They're great to be on set with. So, it's rather tragic that there's a chance that I may not see some of them again. They set the bar so high that we'd be remiss not to see them show again. So, I hope we do."
Reacher is a faithful adaptation, not an exact one
"Reacher" looks to be set up as an anthology show, mirroring the narratives of Lee Child's 26 novels (and one short story collection) which see the protagonist travel the US and beyond, visiting a new location with each story. However, there may be hope yet for Alan Ritchson's vision of a show that brings back beloved characters.
Though it stayed close to the "Killing Floor" story in season 1, "Reacher" took some creative liberties throughout its eight episodes. Neagley, for example, doesn't appear in the novels until book six, "Without Fail." Elsewhere, Nick Santora — who spoke to /Film last year — stated in a 2022 interview that fans shouldn't assume the show would follow the chronology of the novels, stating at the time: "Don't assume we're going chronologically, and don't assume we're not going chronologically, because [at this moment] we legitimately don't know." Now, with the second season confirmed to be following the events of the 11th novel, we can safely say the showrunner opted for a non-chronological approach. What's more, the show has cast several actors to play NYPD cops, suggesting Santora has moved the location from California, where "Bad Luck And Trouble" took place, to the Big Apple for his adaptation.
While the production team is clearly committed to staying true to Child's vision, they're also not above making changes where needed. Which means that while characters haven't returned too frequently in the novels, that won't necessarily be the case with the show. Whether Finlay or Conklin will show up in season 2 remains unclear — neither have been confirmed as yet. But down the line, who knows ... Considering Ritchson told Collider he'd be willing to star in adaptations of every single Jack Reacher novel, we might well have plenty of time to see characters return.