Reacher allegedly came very close to adapting lead star Alan Ritchson’s favourite Jack Reacher book – that was until Donald Trump got re-elected.
The hit Prime Video series, which adapts Lee Child’s action novels, is currently on its fourth season, having tackled books Killing Floor, Bad Luck and Trouble, Persuader and Goes Tomorrow.
However, before Persuader was selected as the inspiration for season three, Ritchson had successfully lobbied for the writers to set their sights on Die Trying, the second Jack Reacher book Child ever wrote. According to the actor, though, plans changed when Trump won the 2024 US presidential election.
Ritchson made the claim when a fan on social media said they were disappointed that the book, in which the character takes on a white supremacist militia camp, had yet to be adapted by the series. In the book, a politician’s daughter is abducted by the radical militia and used as political leverage in their attempts to secede from the US and form a white-only state.
Reacher’s lead star called it his “favourite book” when replying to the fan on on Threads, and while he didn’t specifically name Trump, he added: “Fun fact: I had it approved until someone got re-elected.”
The Independent has contacted Prime Video for comment.
Ritchson previously shared his views on Trump during an appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, where he said that he refuses to let go of his anger and resentment surrounding US politics.
“I'm just supposed to let go of my resentment that this f***ing guy is just raping the world that he lives in for whatever gain he personally can have, and I'm supposed to let that go?” the actor said.
“I think we should hold on to some of that anger so somebody gets Guy Ritchie’d and wakes up in a pool of their own teeth and blood.”
Ritchson’s comments caused fury from the MAGA crowd, with a White House spokesperson commenting to the Daily Beast, “Alan Ritchson is a talentless hack who clearly suffers from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome that has completely rotted his peanut-sized brain.”
Earlier this year, British author Child revealed that he relocated to the UK from the US, where he’d lived for years, because of Trump’s presidency.
He told The Times: “We left two days before Trump’s inauguration and in a whirlwind, really. It’s something I didn’t expect to be doing at my age. But, yeah, it was a point of principle.”
He also addressed the fan response after handing the Jack Reacher book franchise over to his brother, a decision that left many readers angry.
Since 1997, the British author has written 30 novels focused on the hulking action hero and co-authored six with his sibling, Andrew Grant, before retiring and giving him full creative control of the best-selling series.
Despite the books co-written with Grant being a success, Child – real name James Grant – said that long-time Reacher fans have been “funny” about the development.
“They believe Reacher is their property and anybody who messes with him is messing with their thing,” he said in a new interview. “So there’s been a bit of grumpiness from some of the readers simply because something has changed. But other than that I think it’s been fairly seamless.”
