Adapting Lee Child’s Persuader Gives Reacher Season 3 A Major Casting Headache

While it is good that Reacher season 3 is adapting Lee Child’s Persuader, the book choice creates some major casting challenges for the Amazon show. Reacher season 1 turned out to be way more successful on Prime Video than anticipated because it brought something new to the spy thriller genre. When most spy-centric shows focused on creating high-stakes dramas with massive scales, Reacher season 1 unfolded in a small town, focusing on a small-scale but gripping conspiracy.

Despite having a talented roster of cast members, Reacher season 2 could not match season 1’s reception because it added way too many players into the mix and focused on a relatively bigger conspiracy instead of keeping things simple and grounded. The fact that Reacher season 3 is adapting Lee Child’s Persuader means the Amazon show is going back to its season 1 roots. However, adapting Persuader also comes with its own set of headaches and issues.

Casting Persuader’s Paulie Is A Massive Challenge For Reacher Season 3

Some intriguing casting choices for Reacher season 3 have already been made. For instance, it has been confirmed that the book’s main villain, Quinn, will be portrayed by Brian Tee. Other characters from the original book, like Richard Beck, Guillermo Villanueva, Steven Elliot, Zachary Beck, and Susan Duff, have also been cast for Reacher season 3. However, one character, Paul “Paulie” Masserella, whose casting could prove challenging, has not officially been cast for Reacher season 3. Finding the right actor to portray Paulie in season 3 will be significantly hard due to his unique appearance.

According to the original Lee Child novel, Paulie is not only taller than Reacher but also more muscle-bound than him. The book also hints that Paulie is nearly 7 feet tall, nearly half a foot more than the book’s version of Jack Reacher. Since Alan Ritchson, who is close to 6’2”, is portraying the 6’5” Jack Reacher, the show’s Paulie does not have to be 7 feet tall. However, he still has to be taller and bigger than Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher, which presents a considerable challenge because not many actors can make Alan Ritchson look physically smaller on the screen.

Who Can Play Paulie In Reacher Season 3

Finding an actor who not only matches Paulie’s massive stature but also possesses the necessary acting chops to authentically bring the character to life may not be an easy feat. However, it is not impossible since some actors do fit the bill. For instance, Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who played “The Mountain” in Game of Thrones, is around 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs close to 200 kgs (440 lbs). Danish actor Kim Kold, who stands at 6’4” and has a well-established line of work in films like Fast & Furious 6, could be another potential candidate.

Olivier Richters, a.k.a. “The Dutch Giant,” who stands at a towering 7 feet 2 inches, could also convincingly portray Paulie in Reacher season 3. With films like Black Widow, The King’s Man, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on his portfolio, Richters also has a few years of acting experience under his belt. While it is unknown whether Reacher season 3 will cast one of these actors to portray Paulie, the show seems to have quite a few casting options to explore despite the clear limitations.

Reacher

Produced by Amazon Prime Video, Reacher adapts Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book series to live-action. The series follows veteran Military Police Officer Jack Reacher as he unravels a dangerous conspiracy in the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia. Played by the towering Alan Ritchson, the titular hero collaborates with officer Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald) and Chief Detective Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) to clean his name and save Margrave from crime and corruption.

Cast

Malcolm Goodwin , Maria Sten , Willa Fitzgerald , Bruce McGill , Chris Webster , Alan Ritchson , Anthony Michael Hall , Brian Tee , Johnny Berchtold , Daniel David Stewart

Release Date

February 4, 2022

Seasons

3

Franchise(s)

Jack Reacher

Writers

Nick Santora

Directors

Nick Santora

Showrunner

Nick Santora