Reacher season 2 might not have the same cast as season 1, according to showrunner Nick Santora. Reacher season 1 premiered on Prime Video on February 4 and very quickly got a season 2 renewal due to high viewing numbers and a bevy of positive reviews. Alan Ritchson stars as the titular Jack Reacher alongside fellow cast members Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald, and Maria Sten.
Reacher follows the titular character as he investigates a conspiracy in Georgia, uncovering corruption in local law enforcement and politics. The series is based on a collection of novels by Lee Child, which had previously been adapted twice for the big screen with Tom Cruise playing the main role. Reacher season 1 focused on the first novel of the series, Killing Floor, which released in 1997.
When asked by TVLine, Santora says it's unknown if any characters from season 1 will return for the next season. However, he's open to the possibility if he and the other writers come up with an idea to organically bring characters back in Reacher season 2. Read Santora's full quote below:
I will say this, and I’m not trying to be coy or cute: You never know if a character might come back. We might come up with a great idea and say, ‘You know what? Maybe that character can work in Season 2 or Season 3,’ and then you bring them back for a bit or for an extended visit, [but] Reacher is not a character who runs around with an entourage. He’s a lone wolf, so you have to stay true to that.
It's unknown which story Reacher season 2 will adapt, with dozens of novels and short stories to choose from. However, the books share little continuity between them, with Reacher largely portrayed as a drifter, allowing him to get swept up in stories in a variety of locations. The next story in the book series' continuity is Die Trying, which sees Reacher traveling across the country after being kidnapped in Chicago. If the show does adapt that novel next, it's hard to imagine how the existing characters would fit into the story organically. However, as Santora suggests, shorter arcs with familiar faces may be feasible without changing the main character's ethos too much.
Jack Reacher embodies the unflappable masculine hero trope, one that some believe has lessened in popularity in recent years but still remains a staple of the action genre. Although it could be argued the Reacher series wasn't able to capture the hero's depth from the books, season 2 will hopefully allow the writers to expand on the character's personality without sacrificing the pulpy action readers of the original series expect. With Reacher being so well received, with any luck, Santora and his writers will be able to build on the foundation of season 1 and make something that can be as popular as the novels, whether that means an all-new cast of supporting characters or some returning ones.
Source: TVLine