Interview by Paul Salfen
Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life. Reacher is a drifter, carrying no phone and the barest of essentials as he travels the country and explores the nation he once served. When Reacher arrives in the small town of Margrave, Georgia, he finds a community grappling with its first homicide in 20 years. The cops immediately arrest him and eyewitnesses claim to place Reacher at the scene of the crime. While he works to prove his innocence, a deep-seated conspiracy begins to emerge, one that will require Reacher’s keen mind and hard-hitting fists to deal with. One thing above all is for sure: They picked the wrong guy to take the fall.
Season One of Reacher is based on Lee Child’s first Jack Reacher novel Killing Floor, and is written for television by Emmy-nominated writer Nick Santora (Scorpion, Prison Break), who also executive produces and serves as showrunner for the series as part of his overall deal with Skydance Television. Further cast includes Malcolm Goodwin (iZombie) as Oscar Finlay, Willa Fitzgerald (The Goldfinch) as Roscoe Conklin, Chris Webster (Most Dangerous Game) as KJ, Hugh Thompson (Blessed Stranger: After Flight 111) as Baker, Maria Sten (Swamp Thing) as Frances Neagley, Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) as Jasper, Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) as Charlie, Currie Graham (Murder in the First) as Kliner Sr., Marc Bendavid (Dark Matter) as Hubble, Willie C. Carpenter (Devious Maids) as Mosley, Maxwell Jenkins (Lost in Space) as Young Reacher, and Bruce McGill (My Cousin Vinny) as Mayor Teale. In addition to Santora, the series is executive produced by Lee Child, Don Granger, and Scott Sullivan, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost for Skydance.
A natural talent with creative versatility, Alan Ritchson continues to make an undeniable mark as he tastefully evolves his body of work while challenging himself as a writer, producer, and director.
He will next be seen as the title character in the Amazon Original series Reacher, based on the Lee Child international bestselling novels. Child’s Jack Reacher is a global phenomenon and billion-dollar brand published in 49 languages and 101 territories, with more than 100 million copies sold. The first season of the freshman series is based on his inaugural novel, The Killing Floor, which follows Reacher as he steps off a Greyhound bus in a small Georgia town only to be rather quickly – and falsely – arrested for murder.
Ritchson just finished his multiyear run as the quick-tempered vigilante Hawk on the popular HBO Max drama Titans. The show is based on the DC Comics Teen Titans, which depicts a group of young heroes who join forces in their fight against evil. His role has garnered praise from critics and fans alike.
He recently made his feature directorial debut with the high-speed cyber-thriller from Lionsgate, Dark Web: Cicada 3301, in which he also wrote and starred. He previously wrote and directed the award-winning short film Tree House Time Machine, which he subsequently sold to Gunpowder & Sky. In addition, Ritchson produced and co-financed Amazon’s Seberg, which sold internationally at Cannes in 2018 and premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2019. His first foray into writing and producing led to the cultishly beloved Lionsgate feature, BMS: The Rise Of Thadland.
Past film credits include Gloss in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Raphael in Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and working alongside Robert Zemeckis as Beowulf.
Further to his immersive career, Ritchson passionately works alongside the Heart and Armor Foundation as a mental health advocate. Founded by John Mayer, the foundation aims to protect the health of veterans through groundbreaking research – performed by the University of California, San Francisco – to connect civilians to the experience of military service. As a son of two US Air Force veterans who does not shy away from his journey with mental health, Ritchson strives to serve as a bridge between these disparate communities.
He currently resides in Florida with his wife and three children.
