After bringing one of the most iconic action heroes to life, the creator behind Jack Reacher is walking away from the beloved franchise. Beginning back in the 1990s, Reacher has become one of the most recognizable action heroes of all time thanks to the long-running series of novels and the smash hit Prime Video series, Reacher, starring Alan Ritchson as the titular nomadic avenger.
Now, after years of hard work, Lee Child, the author who created Reacher way back in 1997 with the first novel, “Killing Floor,” will now leave the series in the capable hands of his brother, Andrew Child, following the publication of the 30th novel, “Exit Strategy,” which finds the character once again putting his particular skills to good use. Child confirmed that it was time to pass the Reacher torch to his brother (via USA Today), saying “It’s all his now.”
Andrew Child has co-written several Jack Reacher books, with “Exit Strategy” being his first solo effort after what the brothers call his “25-year apprenticeship” to take over. “I really felt this responsibility with it being the 30th, this landmark, this milestone,” Andrew said, “I really wanted it to ring the truest, the most authentic Reacher.”
What Might This Mean for the ‘Reacher’ Series?
Lee Child’s plan to step away from the Jack Reacher series has been a long time coming, with the author saying, “My entire ambition was to give the character away.” The announcement will no doubt raise some questions for fans of the character, the series of novels, and the Amazon show, but things should hopefully stay pretty consistent, as Lee Child says he doesn’t “believe in character development at all.”
“You want a different story, of course, and a different villain and a different plot and a different issue, but you fundamentally want it all to be the same. It is comfortable, it’s familiar, it’s like settling down once a year with a really good friend and just chatting for a couple of days.”
The Reacher series has now expanded far beyond the books, with a pair of movies starring Tom Cruise attempting to bring the character to live-action life. While the big screen efforts were met with mixed results, Amazon has found huge success with the Reacher TV series, which stars the perfect actor for the job, Alan Ritchson, as the action hero. The series is now three well-received seasons in, with the upcoming Season 4 all set to be based on the 13th book in the series, “Gone Tomorrow.”
Amazon is also now set to expand the franchise even further into the Reacher universe, with Maria Sten returning as Frances Neagley and leading her own spin-off series. The show will see Sten return as Frances Neagley, with the rest of the cast comprised of Greyston Holt (The Night Agent, Riverdale), Jasper Jones (King Ivory), Adeline Rudolph (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Mortal Kombat 2), Matthew Del Negro (Mayor of Kingstown, City on a Hill), and Damon Herriman (Justified, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), with a cameo from Ritchson as Jack Reacher.
- Release Date
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February 3, 2022
- Network
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Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Nick Santora
- Directors
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Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent
- Writers
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Cait Duffy