- “Reacher” season three sees Jack Reacher go undercover in a criminal organization.
- Author Lee Child told Business Insider he wants to adapt the “Reacher” book about the opioid crisis.
- Alan Ritchson told BI he would be open to telling a “more modern story.”
“Reacher” fans have come to expect fast-paced storylines and intense action from the Alan Ritchson-led show, but the ratio of punches to emotional drama is not exactly balanced.
So viewers may be surprised that Lee Child, the author of the “Jack Reacher” books, told Business Insider that he wants the show to tackle the opioid crisis.
Before “Reacher” season three premiered Thursday on Prime Video, BI asked Child which of his books he would like to see adapted next.
Child said: “The book that I am proudest of is ‘The Midnight Line,’ which is about the opioid crisis, written from a very sympathetic point of view, from the addict’s point of view. I was very happy with that as a book. And I do not know how that would play on TV, but that would be one that I’d be interested to see.”
This may mean viewers will get to see another side to Reacher. Child added: “He has to be sympathetic for something he would never do, something he probably has no basic sympathy for. But he’s considerate of somebody who suffers from it.”
The opioid epidemic is one of the most serious public health crises the US has faced in recent years. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, deaths involving opioids increased from 5,000 people a year in 1999 to around 17,000 in 2017, before decreasing to 14,000 in 2022.
The book sees Reacher find a class ring from the West Point military academy in a pawn shop and deduces that it was stolen. He then finds himself untangling a dangerous criminal network that deals opioids.
Each season of the show has presented a unique challenge for Reacher. In season one, he had to prove his innocence in a small town. In season two, he had to be a team player with his old unit. And in season three, he goes undercover and has to fight a 7-foot henchman.
In a separate interview, Ritchson told BI he would be interested in exploring “The Midnight Line,” and praised Child’s work.
Ritchson said: “I do like that book. It’s fun watching the content of the books evolve. He started writing these in the ’90s. Some of the concepts that he tackles… He’s very progressive in these books and to watch the conversation change over time is a lot of fun. It’d be fun to tackle a more modern story.”
Child, who is 70, retired from writing “Jack Reacher” novels in 2020, and passed over the reins to his brother, Andrew Child. Ritchson wants him to keep writing more adventures.
“I want to do all of them, you know. I hope that Andrew writes another 10 and we could just do 40 years of this.”
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