Which Lee Child Book Will 'Reacher' Season 3 Be Based On?
Alan Ritchson in 'Reacher.'
Reacher, the action-packed show in which Alan Ritchson plays the hero of Lee Child’s bestselling novel series, is one of Amazon Prime Video’s biggest ever success stories. The show has been both a ratings hit and a critical success, so it didn’t come as a surprise when Amazon handed out an early renewal for Reacher back in December of 2023, two weeks before its second season had even premiered.
The series follows Ritchson as Jack Reacher, an experience ex-military police investigator who now lives as a vigilante drifter, taking on high-risk crime-stopping gigs wherever he finds them. Though it’s early days, a few details about the third season of Reacher are already available, including which of Child’s books it will be based on. Here’s what we know so far.
Which book is Reacher Season 3 based on?
As fans of the series will know, showrunner Nick Santora and his writing team are not adapting Child’s novels in chronological order, instead approaching the show as more of an anthology series with self-contained seasons. Season 2 was based on the 11th book in Child’s series, Bad Luck and Trouble, and Santora has revealed that Season 3 will be an adaptation of the 7th book, which is titled Persuader.
“It’s always a group decision,” Santora told The Hollywood Reporter, discussing the process of deciding which book to tackle next. “The studio has a lot of thoughts and ideas on it, as does Amazon, as they should because they know what they are doing. Alan will always have thoughts as well, because Alan is a really smart guy, and he has certain stories that are his favorites. And I also discussed it a lot with my writing team. They are great writers and we all have instincts, for lack of a better word, as to which books might lend themselves to the screen a little bit better than others. And then we all collectively come to a decision, and then we all hope for the best!”
Related: How to Read Every 'Reacher' Book in Order
What happens in Reacher Season 3?
In the same Hollywood Reporter interview, Santora was unsurprisingly tight-lipped about plot specifics for the third season, beyond promising that “Reacher is going to kick the crap out of people; he’s going to be incredibly smart and deductive in figuring things out; he’s going to be a hero and he is going to help save the day! He’s going to be Jack Reacher.”
If that tantalizing yet incredibly vague teaser hasn’t whetted your appetite, you can always go and read Persuader to get a sense of what’s to come. According to the publisher’s synopsis, Persuader follows Reacher as he “hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise” in a bid to save an agent whose time is running out. In the process, he’ll navigate “a crime lord’s waterfront fortress, where he will find a world of secrecy and violence—and confront some unfinished business from his own past.”
Who's in the Reacher Season 3 cast?
The full cast list for Season 3 hasn’t yet been released, but since each season of the show centers on a new and relatively self-contained story, it’s safe to assume most of the characters will be new. However, Amazon has already revealed that one key player will be returning alongside Ritchson.
Alan Ritchson
Ritchson’s performance as Reacher (who was previously played by Tom Cruise in the 2012 movie adaptation) has been widely praised by critics and embraced by fans, and he’s made it clear that he’s in it for the long haul. When Parade asked him about the future of the show, he replied: “Well, we’re in for three. That’s 26 more [books in Child’s series]. I’d be down to do this until my seventies, yeah.”
In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ritchson reflected on what it is that’s made Reacher resonate so deeply with viewers. “The fact that it was breaking records within 48 hours of premiering on Prime was unprecedented and wholly unexpected,” Ritchson admitted. “Fans of Reacher approach me all the time and I always ask what it is that they love. Women tell me they love the fight scenes and action sequences, and guys say they love the mystery and trying to figure it out before Reacher does. There’s something for everyone to love, and there’s really no demographic—it’s all creeds, races, genders, ages. It invites everyone in who just wants to have a good time and watch a fun story.”
Related: The Future of Jack Reacher, According to 'The Secret' Co-authors Lee and Andrew Child
Maria Sten
Alongside the news of the Season 3 renewal, Amazon confirmed that Maria Sten will be reprising her role as Frances Neagley, a former army master sergeant turned private investigator, and one of Reacher’s few allies. Neagley doesn’t appear in the book Persuader, so this suggests that the writers will be deviating quite a bit from the source material—and that fits with the show’s approach so far, since Sten’s version of Neagley is more fleshed out than in the books and is a part of Reacher’s life from the outset.
“I think they did a smart thing when they introduced her in the first season because she’s such a fan favorite in the book franchise,” Sten told The Wrap. “And I also think it grounds Reacher in a way because he comes to this place where no one knows him. And it’s good to see that he has some kind of connection to an outside world.”
What is the Reacher Season 3 release date?
Season 2 premiered on Dec. 15, 2023 and aired weekly episodes on Fridays. As yet, the release date for Season 3 hasn't been confirmed.
How many episodes are in Reacher Season 3?
The episode count hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Seasons 1 and 2 were both eight episodes long, so it’s likely that Season 3 will follow suit.
How to watch Reacher Season 3
Reacher is an Amazon original, so during the initial run new seasons are only available to watch via the Amazon Prime Video platform. Episodes from Season 1 are available to rent or purchase via platforms including Apple TV, YouTube and Google Play.
Is there a Reacher Season 3 trailer?
There’s no trailer for season 3 as yet, although Ritchson did reveal to Parade that filming for the season is already well underway. And Amazon released a pretty delightful announcement video to mark the Season 3 renewal, which you can watch below:
