Adapting any literary series comes with challenges. It’s easy to make a character come to life, in various shapes and sizes, on the page. Transitioning over to live-action, however, can be limited by casting options. The hit Amazon Prime Video series Reacher has largely succeeded in its casting coups, starting with the discovery of the bulky and intimidating Alan Ritchson as the title character, Jack Reacher. That eye for casting has led to commendable representations of beloved Reacher characters such as Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan), and David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos). As Reacher gears up for its anticipated third season, though, we can confirm the casting of a key character from the Lee Child book Persuader, and based on what we see, it’s an ideal choice.
From here on out, we’re getting into spoilers for Reacher Season 3, so duck out now if you do not want to know details.
As has been reported, Reacher Season 3 – available to anyone with an Amazon Prime Video subscription – will adapt the book Persuader. Set in the coastal region of Maine, the story sends Reacher (Alan Ritchson) undercover in the castle lair of the mysterious Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), whose son is almost kidnapped. Beck lives in fear of his own employers, and relies on bodyguards to keep his family safe.
One of those bodyguards is a deranged bodybuilder named Paulie, which we have learned will be played in Reacher Season 3 by Olivier Richters, an actor nicknamed “The Dutch Giant.”
Paulie stands out because author Lee Child describes him as being so big, he intimidates Reacher. Child wrote in the book:
He was a very big guy. I stand six feet five inches tall and I have to center myself quite carefully to walk through a standard thirty-inch doorway. This guy was at least six inches taller than me and probably ten inches wider across the shoulders. He probably outweighed me by two hundred pounds. Maybe by more.
Which is fine on the page, but how does one cast a role that large? I wrote about the challenge facing the producers of Reacher, because fans know that Paulie needs to tower over our already large hero, and cast a massive shadow. And during a recent interview with Anthony Michael Hall on behalf of his upcoming film Trigger Warning, Hall revealed to CinemaBlend that Paulie will be played by Black Widow and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny co-star Olivier Richters.
Here’s a clip of the 7 foot, 2 inch actor arm wrestling David Harbour in the Marvel Studios prequel:
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When describing his Reacher co-star, Hall went outside of the Marvel series and compared Richters, instead, of a classic James Bond villain. Said Hall:
He reminds me of , do you remember when we were kids? The Spy Who Loved Me, the Jaws character that Richard Kiel played? He was a literal giant, like seven foot two. … That character (Paulie) does live in the show, and they have an epic battle. I don't want to give it away, but yeah, they definitely meet as they do in the book. … You know, Reacher and Paulie colliding – there's something Marvel about that, right? They're like two superhero-sized guys, so it's kind of cool.
Purely based on his physical appearance, Olivier Richters seems to be the perfect foil for Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher. He’s a towering giant of a man, who clearly spends more than enough time in the gym. And as Anthony Michael Hall promises, these two are expected to have a bare-knuckle brawl in Reacher Season 3 that, if it lives up to the book, will rank as one of the greatest fight scenes in television history.
We don’t know yet when Reacher Season 3 will arrive on Amazon Prime Video, but our guide to the upcoming season has the most detail with regards to plot, casting, crew and more. Ritchson also let us know where the season will be filmed. Just so long as they get Zachary Beck’s castle correct, I’ll be happy.
Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor
Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.
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