Alan Ritchsonis bigger than ever – both figuratively and physically. He made his acting debut in the early 2000s, appearing as Aquaman on The CW superhero series,Smallville. Since then, Ritchson has appeared in various films and TV shows. His notable movies includeThe Hunger Games: Catching FireandFast X,as well as voicing the character Raphael in Michael Bay’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesseries.
Ritchson is perhaps best known for his work on television. He had a starring role as the comically ridiculous Thad inBlue Mountain State,which developed a cult following after streaming on Netflix. Ritchson later gained widespread recognition for his notable appearance inReacher.So what else does this rising star have up his sleeve?
Here’s every project that Alan Ritchson is currently working on for TV and for the big screen.
7’Reacher' Season 4
Release Date TBD
Ritchson’s most well-known role is playing the action hero and military man Jack Reacher in Amazon Prime Video’sReacherseries. Ritchson finally brought justice to Jack Reacher for the fans of Lee Child’s crime novels, many of whom were disappointed by the Tom Cruise version of the 2010s.ThisReacher is tall, extremely muscular, and blonde, just like his literary counterpart.Reacherhas received positive reviews from both critics and audiences. Amazon has churned out three seasons since 2022, each one adapting one of Child’s novels.
Its third season, based on the 2003 novelPersuader, just wrapped up in March 2025. And it seems like Ritchson will return as Jack Reacher. The series has already been renewed for a fourth season andwill supposedly come out in 2026. How long willReacherlast exactly? Well, being that there are 29 Jack Reacher novels out there, Ritchson might be working on this series well into the foreseeable future.
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6’The Man with the Bag'
June 20, 2025
The Man with the Bag
Alan Ritchson will be returning to his comedy roots withthe upcoming Christmas action-comedy,The Man with the Bag.After his sack of gifts is stolen, Santa Claus is forced to enlist the help of a petty criminal to get it back.
Ritchson plays Vince, the petty criminal who works with Santa. Meanwhile, Santa himself is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, making this the actor’s first Christmas action-comedy since the 1996 holiday classic,Jingle All the Way. The Man with the Bagwill come out on Jun 10, 2025. And judging by its two leads, it’s bound to be a bag of laughs.
5’Neagley'
Reacherisn’t the only Jack Reacher project that Alan Ritchson is working on. The show’s success prompted Amazon Prime Video to produce a spin-off series – because, of course, they did.Neagleywill focus on Frances Neagley, a corporate security professional who served with Reacher in the Army. The character has a supporting role inReacher,where she’s played by Maria Sten. Sten will reprise her role inNeagley,where her character will seek the truth after an old friend dies in a suspicious accident.
As aReacher-adjacent series, it’s no surprise that Ritchson will make an appearance as Reacher. Will he have a major supporting role, or will he only appear in a couple of episodes? It’s unclear at the moment. It’s also unclear whenNeagleywill premiere, though it’s expected to have a 2026 release that lines up with the fourth season ofReacher.
4’Playdate'
The Man with the Bagisn’t Ritchson’s only upcoming action-comedy. He’s also appearing inPlaydate,alongside Kevin James and Isla Fisher. After losing his job and becoming a stay-at-home dad, Brian (James) accepts a playdate invitation from another stay-at-home dad who turns out to be an absolute maniac. We’ll let you guess who plays the crazy dad.
It’s pretty cool that Ritchson is still willing to appear in comedic roles, given his new macho-man image inReacher.While there’s no official release date for this film just yet,Playdatewill likely come out in late 2025 or early 2026, being that it concluded filming in April 2024.
3’Motor City'
Another film that Ritchson is currently working on isMotor City,an upcoming action thriller. This project has been stuck in developmental hell since 2009. Its script by Chad St. John was included in the 2009 Hollywood Blacklist, which sounds a lot more ominous than it really is. The Blacklist is an annual survey of the most-liked unfilmed screenplays.
Now,Motor Cityis finally seeing the light of day. Ritchson is set to appear alongside Shailene Woodley and Ben Foster. Very little is known about this film, including its release date. Foster, however, did offer an interesting tidbit:Motor Citysupposedly only contains five lines of dialogue.
2’War Machine'
War Machineis a science fiction action film that centers on the final recruits of a special ops boot camp, who must now face off against a deadly force from beyond this world. It will star Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, and Jai Courtney.
Since Netflix acquired the distribution rights, it’s unclear whetherWar Machinewill be released in theaters or only on the streaming platform. It’s also unclear when the film will be released, though we can probably expect a late 2025 or early 2026 premiere.Ritchson has been singingWar Machine’spraises, hyping it up as “the biggest movie that Netflix has ever had”. We’ll just have to wait and see if he’s right.
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Runneris the last action thriller that Alan Ritchson is currently working on. It follows a high-end courier who has 3 hours to transport a liver from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. Owen Wilson will star alongside Ritchson.
LikeMotor City,Runnerwas included in the 2023 Hollywood Blacklist, another well-liked film that had yet to be produced. It will be directed by Scott Waugh, who directed action films likeAct of ValorandThe Expendables 4. Runnerdoes not yet have an official release date.
