Reacher author Lee Child teases potential future seasons: 'There are 26 more to go'
Lee Child teased the possibility of a long-running TV franchise to accompany the books.
Jack Reacher, the hero of Lee Child’s bestselling novels, is back on our screens, six years after Tom Cruise last played the character in two movie outings.
This time the character has been rebooted in a new TV series based on the books, with Alan Ritchson (Titans, Blood Drive) taking on the title role. At 6ft 2in, the actor is closer to the character’s 6ft 5in imposing stature from the books.
Though the first season has only just landed on Amazon Prime, writer Child, who has clocked up one book every year without fail since 1997, with number 27 due for release this October, has already teased the possibility of ‘26 more seasons’.
“By October there'll be 27 books, so there's 26 more seasons to go by, which time I'll be about 100,” he told press including RadioTimes.com.
“And that would work for me. But like everything in showbiz, everybody knows this, it's not up to me. It's not up to any of us. It's up to the viewer. Are they going to like it? And I think yes they are."
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He added: "Nothing is ever certain but they're going to love it I think, and when you've got a series that people love, why not do a second season? Why not do a third? Why not do a 27th? By that time I’lll have written some more. It could go on forever, literally to the heat death of the universe.”
As for what to expect for a possible next adaptation, Child has a couple of ideas but admitted nothing is set in stone.
"I haven't read the books. I've written them. I never reread them. I know them by reputation, what other people tell me about him," noted Child.
He continued: "And there are some that are really popular. And I think what was so great about this first season was Reacher’s loneliness being assuaged by his relationships with other people, and I would like to see more of that. And there's two or three books that really stand out in that sense. So maybe one of them."
Meanwhile, when talking about the next possible adaptation, star Ritchson added: "Die Trying is one of my favourites but you could go sequentially, each one gets better than the last. I'd love to make Die Trying at some point.
"Again, just like they don't pay me to write, they don't pay me for my ideas either, so I guess I'm at the mercy of smarter people."
We shall have to wait and see how much of a success Reacher is.
Reacher is available now on Amazon Prime Video. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
