Amazon Studios wants more Alan Ritchson where that came from. Following the smash success of the Prime Video series Reacher, which features Ritchson in the titular role, it has been announced that Amazon has inked a new deal with the actor for him to star in three feature films. A statement from Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke has been released announcing the new partnership, which you can read below, courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.
“Reacher has exceeded our wildest expectations, and Alan’s captivating performance has played a huge role in the show’s success. We could not be more thrilled to continue growing our relationship and to share what are sure to be more brilliant performances with our global Prime Video audience.”
Ritchson previously played a live-action version of Aquaman on Smallville years before Jason Momoa took over the role for the DCEU. He can also be recognized for his role from the TV series Blue Mountain State along with its movie sequel. More recently, the actor had a run as Hawk on the HBO Max series Titans, having since departed the series before starring on Reacher. On the big screen, Ritchson is known for playing Raphael in Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films and had a role in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. He made his directorial debut with the movie Dark Web: Cicada 3301.
Ritchson took on his most popular role yet as the lead in Reacher, which debuted on Prime Video in February. The series is based on Lee Child's Jack Reacher book series and has been met with praise for its casting, as many fans feel Ritchson looks like how the character is described in the source material. The series quickly found success, garnering strong reviews in addition to very high viewership, becoming the first Prime Video series to top the Nielsen streaming rankings. Season 2 has since been ordered at Prime Video.
Reacher Will Return for Season 2
Previously, Reacher showrunner Nick Santora touched on why Alan Ritchson is perfect as Jack Reacher. He explained how it was a very difficult character to cast, as it required someone who not only could pull off the look that fans were expecting, but could convincingly convey Jack's intelligence as well. Ritchson had made an impression with his audition, and though the Reacher team continued to screen other actors to be sure, they came to realize they found their man.
"It’s a hard character cast. Don Granger, a producer on this project, says it all the time, 'Lee Child wrote a character that doesn’t exist in the real world.' He’s the biggest person in the world. He’s the smartest person in the world. He can be incredibly brave, incredibly smart, and incredibly funny. I’ve never met that person in the real world, so it was a hard casting process. We saw a handful of incredibly talented actors for Reacher. We saw Alan read and we kept looking, but he was always there, in our database. We eventually went back and said, 'Let’s look at Alan again.' The actors that auditioned for this role were so good that kudos to Alan for landing the role. He didn’t win it over amateurs. He won it over really talented, seasoned actors."
Season 2 doesn't have a release date, but you can watch season 1 of Reacher on Prime Video.