For the past four years, Alan Ritchson has dominated Amazon Prime Video as a one-man wrecking crew in “Reacher.” With three seasons under his belt and a fourth on the way, he’s proven that he’s more than capable of commanding a story and holding his own against whatever threat is thrown at him. This March, Ritchson will be switching streaming services and taking the lead in a brand new film for Netflix, which he’s previously described as “the biggest movie” the streamer has ever had. The result is an action-packed sci-fi movie somewhere between the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger-led blockbuster “Predator” and “War of the Worlds.”
Directed by Patrick Hughes (“The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “The Expendables 3”), “War Machine” follows a small squad that comes under fire from an unknown entity during what should be their final stage selection process into the U.S. Army Rangers. Leading these outgunned and unprepared trainees is 81 (Ritchson), who’s already proven his worth.
Here, though, it’s a battle between man and machine as he and his team become the first and last line of defense against something not from their world. Thankfully, he won’t be alone, and has an impressive supportive cast that’s dabbled in action-packed arenas of their own to handle this kind of situation.
War Machine is built with seasoned action stars besides Alan Ritchson
The current Jack Reacher might be coming face-to-face with a giant otherworldly opponent, but he won’t be going into battle alone. Joining Ritchson in this scuffle for the fate of humanity are Jai Courtney, star of “The Suicide Squad” and coincidentally, the villain in Tom Cruise’s “Jack Reacher,” as well as “Mission: Impossible” villain Esai Morales, and big-screen legend Dennis Quaid.
Somehow, Ritchson is still managing to carry the weight, but the actor has admitted it wasn’t easy. In a behind-the-scenes interview for the film, the man known for regularly scrapping with bad guys in “Reacher” revealed he had an even tougher fight with “War Machine.”
“I’m gonna level with you real quick: I am the most tired I’ve ever been,” confessed the walking man mountain. “This is a tough one!” Nevertheless, Ritchson seems to have gotten his character’s number. “There’s something about the spirit of 81 that’s captured me so much,” he explained.”That character who just inspires us to be the best version of ourselves.” We can only wait and see just how much of an inspiration 81 is against his new foe when “War Machine” fires up on Netflix on March 6, 2026. Until then, why not check out our list of the best alien invasion movies?
