Alan Ritchson Says Reacher Season Based on Die Trying Was Approved Before Trump Re-Election

Alan Ritchson said a season of Reacher based on his favorite Lee Child novel was approved before political changes halted the project. The actor and producer made the comment on Threads on Friday, replying to a fan who expressed disappointment that the series has not yet adapted the 1998 novel Die Trying.

The fan wrote that every season of Reacher has been great, but added that they are sad each year to learn that the next season will not be ‘the book where he kills his way through a white supremacist militia camp.’ Ritchson replied: ‘My favorite book. Fun fact: I had it approved until someone got re-elected.’

Die Trying Deals With White Supremacist Militia

Die Trying is the second novel in Child’s Jack Reacher series. The story follows Reacher and a politician’s daughter who are abducted by a radical militia. The militia uses the daughter as a high-value bargaining chip to secede from the United States and establish a white-only state in the mountains.

Ritchson did not name the politician he was referring to. However, he has been publicly critical of President Donald Trump. In July, Ritchson spoke about the Epstein files on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and called out abuses happening in the country.

The White House previously responded to Ritchson’s comments about Trump. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that, just as President Trump has said, he has been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein.

Reacher Season 5 Will Adapt Make Me

Prime Video renewed Reacher for a fifth season in May 2026, ahead of the season four premiere. Season five will be based on Child’s 2015 novel Make Me, the 20th book in the Jack Reacher series. Alan Ritchson announced the book adaptation during the show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July.

Season four of Reacher premiered on August 12, 2026, with the first three episodes of its eight-episode run. New episodes were released weekly through September 16. The season was based on the 2009 novel Gone Tomorrow.

Season three had 54.6 million global viewers on Prime Video in its first 19 days. It became the most-watched season of television on the service since Fallout debuted in 2024.

Neagley Spin-Off Premiered in September

The Reacher spin-off series Neagley premiered all eight episodes on September 16, 2026, on Prime Video. The series stars Maria Sten as Frances Neagley, a private investigator and former military colleague of Jack Reacher. Ritchson makes a guest appearance.

The spin-off holds a Certified Fresh score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 84 percent. It has ranked as one of the most-watched programs on Prime Video in multiple countries.

Prime Video has not commented publicly on Ritchson’s statement about Die Trying. The status of any future adaptation of the novel remains unconfirmed.