Amazon's "Reacher" isn't exactly the titular hero's first foray onscreen. Previously, Jack Reacher came alive with two films starring Tom Cruise. And although they were decent movies, there was one big area they lacked when trying to faithfully adapt Lee Child's novels. A couple of hours onscreen meant only so much of Child's stories could be adapted. Condensing a book into a film can often mean cutting significant moments and less time to get to know characters. But it's for these reasons that Alan Ritchson noted to Empire that Amazon's "Reacher" format truly does the books justice. "It's the right medium to tell this story; we've got enough time to really get to know these characters," Ritchson told Empire. "There's nothing rushed about it. We're not trying to pack an entire book into two hours."
Instead, Amazon's "Reacher" is currently dedicating seasons to entire "Jack Reacher" books. "Killing Floor," the first of the "Jack Reacher" novels, was adapted for Season 1. And the upcoming Season 2 is aiming for the events of the 11th book, "Bad Luck and Trouble." Depending on the success of Season 2, Amazon can basically go in just about any direction when choosing the next novel from Child to adapt. And without the added pressure of keeping their character youthful, "Reacher" could become a show with numerous seasons ahead of it.
