Reacher isn’t through cracking skulls just yet.

The scent of gunpowder is still wafting off the season 3 finale, but Alan Ritchson‘s Jack Reacher is already gearing up for his next exercise in bone-crunching justice. That’s right, Reacher season 4 is in development.

Amazon Prime has adapted three of Lee Child‘s Jack Reacher novels, which follow an ex-military avenger as he drifts in and out of various criminal conspiracies. If you’re worried the show could run out of material, fear not — this isn’t a Game of Thrones situation. Child has penned 29 Jack Reacher novels, as well as a book of short stories. That’s a stack as tall as its namesake hero.

What book will season 4 be based on? Which cast members will return? Can they find another guy bigger than Ritchson? We’d love to see ’em try.

Read on for everything we know about Reacher season 4.

Will there be a Reacher season 4?

Yes, there will be a Reacher season 4. Amazon Prime announced it a full three months before the Reacher season 3 premiere, noting the show’s popularity on the platform.

“Reacher has become a phenomenon that continues to resonate with our global customers beyond our wildest expectations and we are thrilled to bring the series back for an additional season,“ said Vernon Sanders, TV head at Amazon MGM Studios, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We are looking forward to more action and adventure from the immensely talented team behind the series including [showrunner] Nick Santora, Alan Ritchson, Lee Child, Skydance, and CBS Studios.” 

Ritchson posted about the renewal on his Instagram in October 2024. Alongside a photo of him breaking a car window with his formidable fist, he wrote, “Windows everywhere beware. Reacher Season 4 is official. What are you gonna give me if I spill the beans on the book?”

When does Reacher season 4 come out?

Amazon Prime has yet to announce a release date for Reacher season 4, but the good news is that it’s already in pre-production, as evidenced by the early season renewal.

Child, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, confirmed as much to TechRadar in February 2025. “It’s written and it’s ready to go. It’s going to start shooting in the summer,” he said. “The speculation of what next would really be about season five. And, you know, let’s hope that happens.”

There were roughly 13 months between the season 2 finale and the season 3 premiere, so we can likely expect Reacher season 4 to debut in early-to-mid 2026.

What book will Reacher season 4 be based on?

Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Reacher were based on Killing Floor (1997), Bad Luck and Trouble (2007), and Persuader (2003), respectively. It’s not confirmed which book Reacher season 4 will adapt, but Child and the cast have spoken about the novels they’d like to see onscreen.

“My favorite book is Die Trying,” Ritchson recently told Men’s Journal. “I would love to see that happen. And so far, there’s been a lot of discussion about whether or not we should or should not. I guess we’ll see what the future holds. I’ll find a way.”

Published in 1998, Die Trying is a Chicago-set novel involving a mysterious woman, a kidnapping, and a secessionist militia.

Maria Sten, who plays Reacher confidante and private investigator Frances Neagley, has another book in mind. “My favorite book is — and they’ll probably never do it — but it’s Without Fail,” Sten said. “I would really love Neagley to pop back on Reacher to do that one.”

Without Fail is the sixth book in Child’s Jack Reacher series. The 2002 story unites Reacher and Neagley with the Secret Service to prevent the assassination of the vice president-elect.

Child, meanwhile, told Business Insider that he’d love to see his 2017 novel The Midnight Line adapted. “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,” he said. “I do not know how that would play on TV, but that would be one that I’d be interested to see.”

Ritchson agreed. “It’s fun watching the content of the books evolve,” he said. “[Child] started writing these in the ’90s… 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.”

There are two books we likely won’t see in season 4 — 2005’s One Shot and 2013’s Never Go Back. These novels served as the source material for the films Jack Reacher (2012) and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016), starring Tom Cruise.

“I would revisit them absolutely, but I think not as a matter of urgency. Let’s do something that hasn’t been done in any medium yet,” Child told TechRadar. “But yeah, I would certainly do the ones that were features, but they’re on the back burner, rather than the next one.”

Will there be a Reacher movie?

As previously mentioned, Child’s Reacher series was previously adapted for the big screen with Tom Cruise in the title role. There’s always the possibility that Ritchson’s “American James Bond” could pivot from streaming to theaters, but the actor is skeptical.

“I can’t speak to movies. I enjoy the format that we’ve got so much, and it works so well where we do a book a season. I think eight episodes seem to be the perfect amount of time to break out a book,” he told Men’s Journal, adding that a film “would probably do a disservice to the books.”

Child agreed. “My preference is for streaming television. Simply for that running time you’ve got. It’s such a luxury,” he told TechRadar. “Feature films are so tight that it’s an absolute joy to have time to do all the little bits, the quiet bits, the fun bits, and the tender bits.”

What cast members will return for Reacher season 4?

Reacher doesn’t adhere to a set ensemble. In both the series and the books, Jack Reacher is a drifter who moves from town to town, so Ritchson’s hero is the show’s most consistent presence.

Obviously, Ritchson will return for season 4. It’s also likely that we’ll see Sten’s Neagley, the only other character to play a major role in all three seasons of Reacher.

Granted, Sten will be plenty busy herself. Last year, Amazon Prime revealed it was developing a series based around her character.

“Neagley has a lot going on in her life,” the actress recently told Collider. “She has a history, and she has a life lived. She has some quite severe personal issues of her own that she’s grappling with. We just get to know her better and see her grapple with these issues. For anybody who likes the character, I think it’ll be nice to get to know her a little bit better.”

Where can I watch Reacher?

The first three seasons of Reacher are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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