Not only has Lee Child authored 28 Jack Reacher books over the course of 26 years, he’s soon to hand off writing duties to his younger brother, Andrew Child, with whom he’s co-written four existing Reacher installments. What’s more, in the novels, Reacher is canonically born in 1960, and ages in real time, which, at this point, technically makes the laconic protagonist of Child’s books a sexagenarian.
With so much source material to draw from, Prime Video’s streaming adaptation could conceivably last a long, long time. The key will, of course, be whether audiences continue to watch. As the Reacher quote from “Running Blind” that adorns the official Jack Reacher website says, “I’m a man with a rule. People leave me alone, I leave them alone. If they don’t, I don’t.”
It seems the same holds true for Alan Ritchson himself, who, as a self-avowed superfan of the novels, is keen to play the character for as long as possible. Speaking to the 41-year-old actor at a “Reacher” press event, /Film Senior News Editor Jacob Hall asked about the star’s plans for sticking with the character and whether he’d be open to telling “Old Man Reacher” stories. Ritchson replied:
“I could see that. I don’t know. Who knows what my career holds or if the audience will stick around that long. Yeah, if audiences are still showing up 10 years in, why stop? I don’t know. Who knows? I don’t know what the future holds or where my head will be at that point, if I’ll be bored at that point, but I’m … So far I’m anything but bored. I thoroughly enjoy the character and I really want to see a lot of these books that I love brought to life as a fan.”