Author Lee Child has a deep bench of Jack Reacher novels from which Reacher showrunner Nick Santora can draw inspiration for season 2 of the Amazon Prime Video thriller. We have singled out four Reacher novels that make sense for season 2, while leading man Alan Ritchson also revealed the Reacher book that he’d prefer to adapt in his second go-round as the man-mountain military investigator. But now that it has been confirmed that Reacher will go with the 11th novel in the series, Bad Luck and Trouble, we’re here to tell you exactly why that is the perfect selection for the next chapter of Jack Reacher on Amazon Prime Video.
The news was confirmed by Reacher leading man Alan Ritchson, who posted a photo on Twitter of him holding up a copy of Lee Child’s Bad Luck and Trouble book. Take a look here:
“O'Donnell put his hand in his pocket and came out with his brass knuckles. Ceramic knuckles, technically.”That’s right, season 2 of #ReacherOnPrime will be based on Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher, #11), written by the legendary Lee Child. Filming will commence this fall. pic.twitter.com/bOua7LSsLYMay 18, 2022
The quote that Alan Ritchson uses describes one of the major characters who will need to be cast for Reacher season 2 when it returns to Amazon Prime Video, likely in 2023 (as the next season begins filming in the Fall). “O’Donnell” refers to David O’Donnell, a former member of Reacher’s elite military investigative squad. They had a mantra: “You don’t mess with the special investigators.” But the story begins when someone HAS messed with the special investigators, and members of the one-time team start turning up dead.
In Bad Luck and Trouble, the wandering Reacher (Alan Ritchson) gets summoned to Los Angeles by his former partner Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), a character we met briefly in season 1 of the program. The remaining members of Reacher’s military investigation team start digging into what might have happened to their former colleagues… knowing that whomever was capable of taking them off of the board has to be similarly elite, and very dangerous.
When Alan Ritchson opened up about the book that he wanted to see adapted for Reacher season 2, he picked the second book in the series, Die Trying. The Reacher series doesn’t unfold chronologically, as each book basically offers up its own standalone story and the seasons don’t have a need to connect. Still, you might think it strange to have season 2 of Reacher jump all the way to book eleven, mainly because season 1 decided to adapt The Killing Floor, the very first Jack Reacher book that Lee Child wrote.
However, here’s why it’s perfect. One of the major questions we had about Jack Reacher following the actions of season 1 has to do with his military training, and his ability to prevail over so many lethal antagonists. There are explanations as to why Reacher has chosen a life of isolation and wandering, and they get explored in subsequent books. But Bad Luck and Trouble specifically digs into how Reacher got to be so efficient as a military investigator, and puts the hero and his former team up against some significant adversaries. So this would allow the outstanding Amazon Prime Video series to further develop Jack Reacher’s skill set by laying out most of what he accomplished in the military.
Also, one thing that Bad Luck and Trouble allows Reacher season 2 to do is show off completely new locations from the small-town Georgia environment. The story is set in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and it’s important to show Reacher operating in new cities and towns, as that’s integral to his character. Finally, the last reason why Bad Luck and Trouble works so well is because the other investigators who will join Reacher for his next case are complete badasses who I really want to see on screen. Maria Sten’s already in the fold as Neagley, but next we will get to meet lethal ex-soldiers O’Donnell and Karla Dixon, and we might even get actors cast as Calvin Franz, Jorge Sanchez, and Tony Swan… all of whom deserve on-screen representation.
We can’t wait to see more of Reacher, as it was one of the best Amazon Prime Video shows available on the streaming platform. So make sure that you have your Amazon Prime Subscription up to date, so that when it finally arrives, you will be able to watch it as soon as possible.
