Lee Child explains how Alan Ritchson surpassed Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in one aspect.

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Over the last few months, the audience has been patiently waiting for Alan Ritchson’s Reacher season 2. The inaugural season of the show made its way to Amazon Prime Video in 2022. Since then, the speculation for a second season of the series has kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Alan Ritchson in Reacher

Well, the wait for the aforementioned sequel is finally over, as Reacher season 2 was released on Amazon Prime Video on December 15, 2023. Following a triple-episode release, Alan Ritchson has impressed many with his portrayal of the titular character.

Reacher Book Author Heaps Huge Praise on Alan Ritchson

Lee Child has written over 25 novels and short stories featuring the former major in the US Army’s military police. On top of that, Child is also involved in Prime Video’s TV show based on the novels, serving as the executive producer for the series.

In an exclusive interview with the Radio Times, Child shared his thoughts on Alan Ritchson playing the character and doing a commendable job in Reacher season 2. Child mentioned how Reacher is a quiet guy, and Ritchson perfectly understood the essence of the character.

Reacher is a quiet guy, he doesn’t talk much unless he has to, and therefore we needed an actor who could, without saying anything, without necessarily doing anything, own the screen – especially because in the opening episode, Reacher doesn’t say anything during his first eight minutes on the screen, which is a huge ask for an actor.

Alan Ritchson in Reacher

Prior to Alan Ritchson, legendary actor Tom Cruise portrayed Jack Reacher in two movies in 2012 and 2016, respectively. However, even Tom Cruise couldn’t stay silent for the first eight minutes of his role as Reacher in his movies.

Keeping that in mind, Ritchson has certainly surpassed Cruise’s rendition of the popular character in the Prime Video series. As of now, the first three episodes of the series have been released on the streaming platform.

Following the mega release, the series will follow a weekly release schedule for the remainder of the season.

Lee Child Says Reacher Season 2 is Even Better Than the Inaugural Season of the Series

It is a tasking job to establish a TV show in the eyes of fans around the globe. However, Reacher season 1 fulfilled that task with ease. Now, ensuring the quality of the show doesn’t dip was the next job for the showrunners.

Well, according to Lee Child in the same interview with Radio Times, Alan Ritchson has done an even better job of bringing the character to life in the second season of the show.

I’m really pleased with season 2. It was a real reminder how much talent there is in the acting pool. But we were looking for the perfect person and that was Alan Ritchson.

Alan Ritchson in Reacher

There is no one better than Lee Child to judge the quality of the show. After all, he is the author of the Jack Reacher books that the TV show has been based on.

Speaking of the second season of the series, it currently has three episodes, with five more episodes left to be released. Similar to the opening season, the second season will feature a total of eight episodes.

Moreover, the show will return to Amazon Prime Video after the current season finishes airing, as the series has already been renewed for a season 3.