Alan Ritchson (Jack Reacher) and Maria Sten (Frances Neagley) in the second season finale of “Reacher.”
Prime Video
[This story contains spoilers from the finale of Reacher‘s second season.]
Reacher viewers have now had a week to relax, perhaps rewind, and reflect on how arch-villain Shane Langston (Robert Patrick) finally got his place in the season two finale.
After saving love interest Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan) from falling out of a helicopter in mid-air, Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) – strapped to a stretcher and carrying a knife – sets out to retrieve Langston to bring him the same fate that had befallen many of our series hero's friends: being thrown out of a flying plane.
The scene was a treat for viewers of Prime Video's hit, action-packed series. And it turns out that scene was also one of the highlights for Reacher showrunner Nick Santora. Santora makes no secret of how much of a fan he is of both author Lee Child's books (the series' source material) and his protagonist, Ritchson. caught up with Santora after the end of season two to reveal the finale and share some thoughts on what paths Reacher might take in season three.
After our interview, the Amazon platform confirmed that next season's Reacher will be based on Persuader, the seventh book in the Child series, and that Maria Sten will return to the series, playing the role of Frances Neagley alongside Ritchson will take over. The Season 3 storyline will see Reacher go undercover to rescue an informant held captive by a haunting enemy from his past. Neagley does not appear in Persuader, making her presence in the series a departure from the books. The next season is already in production.
Below, Santora shares with THR some of his fondest memories of working on season two and the little details he'd like to share about the next season.
First, a quick question: Did Lee Child make a cameo in the second season (like Stan Lee in the Marvel films)?
Lee Child had a wonderful cameo in the last episode of the first season where he meets Reacher at the Margrave Diner and says “Sorry,” which is really cool because it's a bit like Dr. Meet Frankenstein the Frankenstein Monster. Although I'm not comparing Alan Ritchson to the Frankenstein monster – he's way cooler and way too good looking for that. But in subsequent seasons, everything depends on Mr. Child's availability. He's a busy guy. But if he's ever in Toronto and wants to pop in for an episode, I'm sure we can work it out because without him none of us would have our jobs.
Before I ask you to complete the second season, let's talk a little about the upcoming season. My understanding is that the books the series is based on are not in chronological order. So how do you decide which book or plot to focus on next?
It is always a group decision. The studio has a lot of thoughts and ideas on this, as does Amazon, as well they should because they know what they're doing. Alan will always have thoughts too, 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're great writers, and we all have, for lack of a better word, an instinct for which books might be a little better suited to the screen than others. And then we all make a decision together and then we all hope for the best!
Can you tell us what we will see in the third season?
I can tell you that Reacher will finish people off; he will be incredibly smart and deductive when it comes to figuring things out; He'll be a hero and help save the day! He will be Jack Reacher.
Will he be a loner again, or will we perhaps see some cameo appearances from season two like we did with the Finlay character from season one (Michael Goodwin)?
What I can say is that the spirit of Reacher is that he is a loner and a drifter, to use Reacher's terminology. So Reacher will never have a group of happy people traveling with him and helping him solve crimes and go on adventures. Reacher's DNA is that he moves alone and teams up with good people when evil lurks. Then he says goodbye to these people and sets off. And we always want to stay true to that.
Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in the season two finale. Prime Video
Going back to season two, did you enjoy working with this ensemble and group of actors in scenes that would normally just be about Reacher?
I enjoyed it and I know all the writers enjoyed it because more characters means more fun to write. It also allows for more conflict and more humor between characters. And I think what fascinates people about Reacher is that Reacher is a great character and his family of the 110 are also great characters. Lee Child provided Reacher with this great pseudo-family and it was fun to explore. The book we used in season two is different from most other books because Reacher works with people he's worked with before. But overall, answering your question wasn't any more difficult. And in a way it was nice because we got to work with great actors too! The actors portraying the members of the 110, who portrayed some of the other characters throughout the season such as Langston (Robert Patrick) and Detective Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi), are some of the best actors in the world and are just a joy to write for She.
What episode or scene in season two was the most rewarding for you?
I would say the helicopter sequence in the finale was a huge challenge from a production standpoint, but we have an incredible production team and our stunt team is so phenomenal. The writers and producers can sleep easy knowing it will look great at the end of the day. I really enjoyed the moment when Langston got what was coming to him in the helicopter. It's nice to see the villains get their due.
Speaking of Langston, the reference to the film Terminator 2 has not gone unnoticed by many viewers. (Patrick played the killer Terminator T-1000 in the 1991 film, trying to take out the mother of future machine killer Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton.)
The truth is, I would like to acknowledge that and pretend that I or other writers in this room are that smart. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A few months before filming, we were preparing to do a small show and we cast Langston. And unfortunately, we had to make some changes due to scheduling conflicts and things like that. So we took a little break and had to find a new actor, and I immediately thought of Robert Patrick, who I had already worked with on Scorpio. He is such a great actor and so talented. I reached out to him and he said, “Yes, I’d love to do that,” and he jumped right in and got started!
After he took the role, I realized we had that line from Sarah Connor in the script. I had completely forgotten that the line had been written months before! The scripts had been written months before. And now I'm looking at the newspapers and he says this sentence. And I said, “Oh no, do I have to cut this line?” Is that too meta? Is that too sweet?” And I thought about it and left it in there and everyone seemed to like it. It's just something that the audience enjoys. And the truth is that Robert Patrick, the actor from The Terminator, doesn't exist in the Reacher world. He's a different guy. He's Langston on our show, right?
Shane Langston (Robert Patrick). Prime Video
I understand you're from New York but filmed in Toronto. As a native New Yorker, what has it been like to have a city in another country represent your experience?
I was born in Queens and I know what Queens looks like. I know what Brooklyn looks like – Staten Island, Bronx, Long Island and Manhattan. They all look very different. People who aren't from New York might think it's just skyscrapers or whatever, but that's not the case. It is quite diverse in its appearance and feel. A long time ago I created and ran a show called Breakout Kings with Matt Olmstead. We shot in Brooklyn and Queens as well as Atlantic City, Staten Island and Toronto. I was surprised at how well it fit together.
As an Italian-American, I can say that I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that there are a lot of Italian-Americans in New York and a lot of Italian-Canadians in Toronto. When many of these Italians immigrated to America from Italy, they brought with them the style of masonry and ironworking, so many houses and neighborhoods look the same. I drove through neighborhoods in Toronto that could be Inwood Long Island, where a lot of Italians live. The same wrought iron handrails lead up the slate steps to the pretty little brick house, and it looks just like certain areas of New York. So I think Toronto can pretty much pass for New York. And if you need to build skyscrapers and large buildings, Toronto has you covered with that too.
How does the experience of being showrunner on “Reacher” differ from shows like “Prison Break” and “Scorpion”?
The only difference is the tone of the show. There's still humor in Reacher. Reacher has some very funny moments and Alan has wonderful comedic instincts. Me and the writers I work with bring a bit of humor to the shows. But it's a darker and more violent show because it's streaming and we can show more. Similarly, Prison Break lasted four years, Scorpion took four years. And I hope Reacher is at least four years old. And on all of these shows I honestly got to work with the most wonderful people. They have become my best friends in the world: the writers, the producers, some of the actors, directors, the crew. They become your great friends simply because they are the people you work with. And in a perfect world, you can carry it from show to show. You can still work together, and in that sense they are all equal. I was just very lucky to be able to work with wonderful people. In that sense it was a blessed life.
Reacher season 2 is now streaming on Prime.
More:
Alan Ritchson on his own stunts and the theme of “Reacher” season 2 (“Don’t mess with my family”)