Reacher Season 3 Series Preview

Jack Reacher: this name stands for uncompromising action. The popular book series has already been brought to the big screen twice with Tom Cruise. But it was the Amazon series that gave the character his final breakthrough: "Reacher" broke several streaming records right from the start and is still very popular after two seasons. Now, the third season will be released soon. In this video, you can find all the important information and the most exciting theories about the sequel!

The plot

Like the first two seasons, the sequel is also based on a book by Lee Child. This time, "The Persuader" is being adapted. Showrunner Nick Santora explained the plot in an interview with a The Hollywood Reporter as following: Reacher has to go undercover to rescue an informant who is being held captive by an old enemy from his past.

Although there is a book template, it is far from certain what exactly awaits us in season 3. After all, there have been deviations from the books before, which could have an even greater impact on events as the series progresses.

New villains

So far, no one seemed to be able to hold a candle to Jack Reacher. The former military policeman effortlessly manages to take out criminals with his impressive stature and fighting power. We all remember the first season, where he took down 6 to 10 opponents at the same time. In season 2, the whole thing was topped once again - no challenge seemed too big for Reacher.

Season 3 could now change that. Following the events of his predecessors, Reacher will have to face a new challenge - an opponent who is his equal, if not his superior: we are talking about Paulie, who was already introduced as a terrifying villain in the original book.

Paulie serves as the right-hand of drug dealer Zachary Beck, who is played by Anthony Michael Hall in the third season. Reacher goes undercover to infiltrate Beck's entourage and meets Paulie, who is described by author Lee Child as a real monster. Paulie is not only well over two meters tall, but also enormously massive - a full 90 kilos heavier than Reacher. Despite his impressive stature, he surprises with remarkable speed that one would hardly expect from a man of his size. We can therefore assume that he will make life very difficult for our main character.

Paulie is played by Olivier Richters, a Dutch bodybuilder and actor who has already appeared in action blockbusters such as "Black Widow" and "The King's Man: The Beginning". With an impressive height of 7.2, Richters even surpasses Reacher actor Alan Ritchson.

A first picture that Richters shared on the official "Reacher" Instagram account already shows how threatening his character looks. Speaking of Instagram: On his own channel, he poses alongside great actors such as Harrison Ford, John Rhys-Davies and Kevin Hart, among others. Especially in comparison to Kevin Hart, who is one of the smaller stars in Hollywood with his 5.5 hight, Richters' gigantic figure becomes particularly clear. A meeting with Paulie will certainly show us that Reacher is not a supernatural being who can just shrug off any confrontation - a point of criticism of some viewers of the first two seasons.

However, the real antagonist in season 3 is Quinn, played by Brian Tee. In the original books, Quinn is a former lieutenant colonel in the US army who shares a common past with Reacher. Quinn was not only responsible for the extremely brutal murder of one of Reacher's coworkers, but was also accused of selling military secrets to enemies of the US. Quinn is also described as physically imposing and extremely cunning. The villain is also likely to have a DEA agent or two on his payroll.

Frances Neagley and a spin-off

Frances Neagley is set to play a much bigger role in the new season, although she doesn't appear in the book at all. In season 2, we were already given some information about the character's background. Season 3 should add on that. It has already been announced that there will be an official "Reacher" spin-off that will revolve entirely around Frances Neagley. In order to warm up the audience, she will certainly give Reacher a helping hand to overcome the problems and dangers that arise in season 3. Based on this character alone, it can therefore be assumed that the series will take a few liberties compared to the book.

A moderate Reacher and energetic support

Although Jack Reacher is the protagonist of the series, he is anything but a pure hero. For the viewer at home, it is of course satisfying when Reacher takes out his opponents in impressive fights without batting an eyelash. However, there are always moments when Reacher's desire for revenge overstates the case. In season 2, for example, he seeks out the villain Grant in order to inject air into his catheter. The result: a fatal embolism.

In season 3, however, the character is likely to be a little more tame. He takes two people under his wing: Firstly, Richard Beck - son of antagonist Zachary Beck. In the book, he is described as thin, insecure and anxious. In addition to him, Oscar Finlay will also join Reacher and be trained from a down-to-earth policeman to an action hero. Reacher could act as kind of a father figure, which could also add a new, softer side to his character.

A small leap in time

While the first season was still based on the first book "Killing Floor", the sequel took a huge leap in time. It was based on the 11th volume, "Bad Luck and Trouble". In the time between the two seasons, the character experienced events from part 9 - "One Shot". This book was already used as a template for the first film adaptation with Tom Cruise in 2012.

However, it is unlikely that a similar time jump will take place between seasons 2 and 3. After all, "Persuader" - on which the new season is based - is the seventh novel of the series. The time jump is therefore more likely to proceed backwards and only cover a few months, if not weeks.

Of course, it is also possible that the series will simply change the chronology of the books if this fits in better with the narrative style. Who knows how many more seasons of "Reacher" await us in the upcoming years? Presumably the makers will not be deterred from also filming relatively early stories - even if the timelines have to be somewhat revised. Fortunately, the author of the books is also working on the series - so a total narrative chaos is not to be expected.

Failed relationships

In addition to all the changes and new characters, some points are likely to remain, such as Reacher's unsuccessful love affairs. Many fans are speculating on a relationship with DEA agent Susan Duffy, played by Sonya Cassidy, in season 3. However, a long-term happy ending is hardly to be expected in such a series. Whatever fate such a love would meet sooner or later, it would certainly add depth to Reacher's character.

The cast

Of course, Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher remains the heart of the show. The actor began his career in 2005 as a part of the Superman series "Smallville". However, he didn't reach his breakthrough until 2022 with 'Reacher'. As a result, he is currently in high demand for action roles - he was last seen in Guy Ritchie's "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare".

Some familiar faces from previous seasons will also be back, including Malcolm Goodwin as Oscar Finlay and Maria Sten as Frances Neagley. However, some supporting characters may be a little less present as the plot of the third season focuses on Reacher's solo mission.

Susan Duffy's instructor at the DEA, Guillermo Villanueva, is played by Roberto Montesinos. Daniel David Stewart also joins the cast as new recruit Steven Elliot.

Of course, we are particularly excited about the performances of the villains: Olivier Richters as Paulie and Brian Tee as Quinn. Anthony Michael Hall will once again play the corrupt businessman Zachary Beck. His son Richard will be portrayed by Johnny Berchtold. The attempted kidnapping of the college student kicks off the plot of season 3.

Behind the scenes

For the first time, Alan Ritchson takes on the role of executive producer as well. He is joined by Lee Child, author of the underlying book series, as executive producer. Nick Santora remains responsible for the creative direction, once again acting as showrunner and screenwriter.

Filming on the sequel began at the end of 2023, even before the second season was released. It was completed in the summer of 2024. Despite this, Amazon has not yet announced an exact start date for the sequel. Alan Ritchson only published a picture announcing the return of Jack Reacher in 2025. This news caused disappointment among many fans, as they had hoped for the end of 2024. The previous seasons were released 6 to 9 months after the end of filming - so we expect "Reacher 3" to be released sometime in spring 2025.

At least, Amazon has already confirmed that a fourth season will follow. The series certainly holds plenty of potential for the future: as Lee Child has written 29 Jack Reacher books to date.