Why Reacher Is Better On Streaming Than In The Movies Explained By Author Lee Child

Reacher has achieved immense success on Prime Video, and the original author believes that he knows why. Based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, there have been two major adaptations in the past 15 years. Two movies, led by Tom Cruise, earned a combined $380 million at the box office. The TV show, which is led by Alan Ritchson, has had a massive cultural impact. ScreenRant‘s Greg MacArthur reviewed the first few episodes of Reacher season 3 and called them “all business this time around“, while always keeping viewers “on the edge of our seats.“

Both adaptations were relatively successful, but Child prefers the Prime Video version. In an interview with TheWrap, Child explained that he enjoys the streaming format far more. It lacks the “ruthless cutting“ that defines cinematic releases. While he did say that theatrical releases can still be “really good“, he believes that they miss the contrasting elements that make the show so effective. Check out his quote below:

It’s perfect for the novels because you’ve got the time to keep everything that you need to keep, whereas any other kind of adaptation, like a feature film, is all about ruthless cutting. An abridged version can be really good but you’re missing out on a lot of the flavor. You’re missing out on the contrast, the light and the shade and the quiet parts.

What A TV Adaptation Meant For Reacher

It Affords Time For More Character Development

There is an obvious benefit from TV adaptations that movies simply do not have: Time. Whereas most movies run from 90 to 120 minutes, a show can run for far more than just two hours. Reacher season 1, for instance, was nearly seven hours long, while the first movie came in at just two hours. With three times the amount of space to tell the story, a show can spend more time focusing on developing characters. It can still feature an action-packed adventure, while also paying more attention to the lighter moments as well.

In this case, that means that the show was able to spend more time developing the rest of the Reacher cast, outside of just Ritchson. Killing Floor, the first book in the Jack Reacher series, has over 500 pages. Much of that time is spent on developing characters besides Reacher. With more available time, the show took the same risk. In a movie, Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin), Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald), and others would never have had so much attention. After all, the TV show had the space to add a romance with Roscoe, while the movie certainly did not.

Our Take On Reacher’s Streaming Success

More Adaptations Should Take This Route

The success of Reacher should be a message to other streaming platforms about thrillers. Rather than focusing solely on thriller movies, thriller shows could easily become massive successes. That very thought process could have been on the mind of Prime Video executives after Amazon acquired the creative rights to James Bond. With the success of Child’s adaptation, other action-thriller franchises may be quick to follow suit. Child, after all, is not alone in his realization that streaming offers new avenues for movie franchises.

Source: TheWrap

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Reacher

8/10

Release Date

February 3, 2022

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Nick Santora

Directors

Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent

Writers

Cait Duffy