This morning, Prime Video announced a newReacherspin-off, at the Prime Video Presents: Trailblazers event in London. Currently known asThe Untitled Neagley Project, thespin-off starring Maria Sten as Frances Neagley— the best friend and trusted colleague ofJack Reacher (Alan Ritchson)—willfollow the titular characterin her job as a private investigator in Chicago as she investigates the suspicious death of a close friend.
Sten appeared at the London event alongsideJennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, andtold the audiencewhat they could expect from the new spin-off series, teasing where things might be headed for Neagley.
“I love Neagley. She’s so fun to play, she’s so quirky and has so much complexity. I love doing character work, that’s how I was trained. I read all the books that she was in… I got into what I felt was her psyche. So, for me, I had it all there and I’m just thrilled to expand upon it further.It’s still ‘Reacher', it’s still fun, splashy action and quick dialogue but it has something that’s Neagley, not Reacher.It’s the same fun tone but [the writers] make it its own.”
Why Has Neagley Got Her Own Show?
Neagley is portrayed, in the series, as Reacher’s closest confidante, the one he goes to if he needs answers. But that’s not the case inLee Child’s novels, so why is Neagleyso much more involved in the TV series?The character doesn’t appear regularly in the novels, but for a television adaptation, it’s good to have a character that can deliver exposition to the audience.Child told Empire a few months agowhy Neagley got an expanded role on-screen, which led to her own series, such was her popularity.
“Neagley was a strategic decision. The one thing you cannot do on screen that you can in a book is have the inside of somebody’s head. Reacher thinks a lot, and there are pages and pages of Reacher puzzling things out. You can’t write an eight-minute scene with Alan Ritchson sitting there, thinking. So we needed a secondary character to bolster the exposition."
The first two seasons ofReacherare available to stream now on Prime Video,with the third season set to debut in 2025.Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the Frances Neagley spin-off.
When retired Military Police Officer Jack Reacher is arrested for a murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen and scheming politicians. With nothing but his wits, he must figure out what is happening in Margrave, Georgia. The first season of Reacher is based on the international bestseller The Killing Floor by Lee Child.
Watch on Prime Video
