A massive new cast list has been announced for the second season of Lee Child’s 11th Jack Reacher novel and will be released on Amazon Prime Video. Bad Luck and Trouble will once again see Alan Ritchson return as the titular Reacher, an ex-army drifter who travels the USA getting involved in various conspiracies, adventures, and investigations. The first season, based on Child’s debut novel Killing Floor, was a success and filming has now begun on the next chapter.
The stoic and hulking Reacher is defined by his need to wander, never tied to a single place for any particular amount of time. It was always going to be inevitable then that the cast of Reacher would refresh after every season. Reacher season 2 will skip to book 11, Bad Luck and Trouble, to see Reacher chasing down past colleagues and of a military Special Investigation Unit, who are all being hunted down for an unknown reason. While Maria Sten has been confirmed to reprise her role as s Neagley, the rest of season two will be bulked out by a massive cast of newcomers. Here's every actor and the roles they'll play in Reacher season 2.
Serinda Swan Plays Karla Dixon
Karla Dixon was chosen by Reacher himself to the US Army 110th MP Special Investigations unit, due to her knack with numbers and a shared respect for mathematics. She’ll be played in the season by Serinda Swan, who was mostly recently seen with super-powered hair, as Medusa in Marvel’s Inhumans. Reacher's old military group were responsible for solving some of the more difficult army investigations, and he finds success in tracking some of them down during Bad Luck and Trouble. When Reacher finds Dixon she has become a forensic ant and provides a quasi-romantic love interest for Reacher. As Medusa, Swan had to imbue her character with pride, comion and intelligence; three things Dixon has in spades. Swan has the looks, charm, and intensity to easily carry off the sharp intellect of Dixon.
Ferdinand Kingsley Plays A.M.
A.M. isn’t just one name, it’s several. The initials of at least four aliases used by the enigmatic and invisible Azhari Mahmoud, a Syrian terrorist who plays a key role in the untangling mystery that Reacher finds himself embroiled in. The role requires someone who can be a chameleon, slipping in and out of different nationalities and accents with ease. Kingsley is the son of The Sandman, Hob Gadling, Kingsley is a brilliant choice for the sinister and unknowable A.M.
Rory Cochrane Plays Shane Langston
There are several characters who’ve been announced for Reacher season 2 that don’t actually appear in Child’s book. Shane Langston is one such character and his appearance suggests one major diversion from the novel. He’ll be played by Rory Cochrane, who is best known for playing Speedle in CSI Miami, before being killed off. In Bad Luck and Troubles, Reacher crosses paths with police officers from the LAPD, who are investigating the same deaths and disappearances as Reacher and his remaining military colleagues. The LAPD are represented by Detective Curtis Mauney, who hasn’t been cast in the new season. Instead, a series of NYPD officers have been announced instead, suggesting that Reacher will be brushing up against an entirely different police department.
The narrative of Bad Luck and Troubles leans heavily on a troubling link between the LAPD and New Age, a private defense contractor. Langston potentially appears to be an alternate version of Allen Lamaison, an ex-LAPD officer turned director of New Age. The character is insidious and ruthless and Cochrane can play those characteristics in his sleep. The actor best known for ing roles in Argo and A Scanner Darkly, is perfectly cast for this new iteration of a troubled ex-officer.
Domenick Lombardozzi Plays Guy Russo
Not only is the The Wire.
Al Sapienza Plays Marsh
Another new NYPD detective will be Marsh, played by Al Sapienza. While it’s unclear what role Marsh will play in the unfolding season, he has been described as a "formidable lieutenant with the NYPD" (via James Gandolfini in The Sopranos as Marty Spinella. The combined grit and combativeness of him, Cochrane and Lombardozzi will be more than enough to challenge Reacher in the season - for better or worse.
Ty Olsson Plays Saropian
The hitman who appears in Bad Luck and Troubles isn’t particularly fleshed out as a character and is simply known as "the man in the suit," but in Reacher season 2 the same character seems to have actually been named. Ty Olsson will be playing Saropian, a dangerous hitman sent to tackle Reacher and his crew. The fact he has been named might suggest Olsson’s Saropian will get a little more backstory than his counterpart in the novel.
Josh Blacker Plays Hortense Fields
There are several high-ranking generals and lieutenants in Reacher’s past who could make an appearance, with room even for Tom Cruise to make a perfect Reacher cameo. Lieutenant Colonel Hortense Fields is another character who didn’t appear in Child’s original series and his inclusion is another hint that audiences might be getting flashbacks to Reacher’s time in the military. Described as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army who used to oversee Reacher’s curated Special Investigations Unit, it’ll be interesting to see how he plays into the unfolding story in Reacher season 2. He’ll be played by Josh Blacker, best known for playing Sgt Spencer in Stargate.
Luke Bilyk Plays Calvin Franz
Without verging too far into spoiler territory, Calvin Franz is a character that might not get much screen time in Bad Luck and Trouble. Reacher often saw Franz as his equal and was a close colleague with him during Reacher’s time in the military, one of the many reasons he chose him for the Special Investigations Unit. Interestingly, Luke Bilyk has been cast as the man Reacher often referred to as a caveman. Prior to his appearance in Amazon Prime's Degrassi: The Next Generation and he is leaner than his novel’s counterpart. It’ll be interesting to see what he does with the role.
Dean McKenzie Plays Stan Lowery
Another member of Reacher’s Special Investigations Unit, the inclusion of Stan Lowery – and several others - hints towards a flashback format in the second season. He’ll be portrayed by Dean McKenzie, an actor with an enviable back catalogue of action movies and TV appearances. From the Lowery and his relationship with Reacher in the show.
Morales – Manuel Orozco/Collantes – Jorge Sanchez/Kook-Chun – Tony Swan
While central to the plot Orozco, Sanchez, and Swan – much like Lowery – either only appear briefly or are simply referenced to in Bad Luck and Troubles. The remaining of Reacher’s Special Investigations Unit, however, have all been cast, suggesting that the audience will either see flashbacks to Reacher’s military days or certain scenes which are alluded to in the book will actually be seen. Alternatively, the story could take a few twists and turns that diverge from the book. Sanchez and Orozco worked together after the military in Las Vegas, while Swan became the Assistant Director of a security firm called New Age, a company that becomes integral to the plot. Edsson Morales, Andres Collantes, and Shannon Kook-Chun are relatively unknown, but if they are to be seen it’ll be interesting to see if their performances in Reacher season 2 tallies with their characterizations in the novel.