Lee Child Has Finally Given a Green Light to a Potential Neagley-Centered ‘Reacher’ Spin-Off
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Lee Child, the author behind the Jack Reacher series, has recently changed his mind about a Reacher spinoff. After years of refusing to consider a spinoff featuring Neagley, Reacher’s loyal ally, he now thinks it’s a great idea.
Neagley, played by Maria Sten in the Prime Video series, has become a standout character. Even though she was only featured in a few of the books, she’s been in every season of Reacher on TV, and fans have really connected with her.
Child, who once worried about revealing too much about Neagley’s mysterious background, has come around after seeing Sten’s portrayal. He admitted in an interview that he was initially nervous about diving deeper into Neagley’s past.
Child had always kept her character mysterious because he felt it made her interesting. But after watching Sten’s performance, he’s now fully on board with the idea of a spinoff.
Child said, ‘She’s this surprise hit of the series. She totally owns that character. I can’t see past her anymore. She has claimed that role and she totally deserves that spinoff. I hope it’s a huge success and I hope she enjoys doing it.’
He also shared that he feels ‘professionally, incredibly jealous’ of showrunner Nick Santora, who found the perfect way to explore Neagley’s story without taking away from her mysterious nature.
The spinoff is set to expand the Reacher universe, and with the show’s success, it makes sense that Neagley would be the character to get her own spotlight. Santora made sure Neagley was featured more in the show, which helped build her fan base.
Though she had a much bigger role in season 2, she’s been a bit more limited in season 3, appearing only in a few scenes. Fans are excited to see more of her in the upcoming spinoff, which Sten mentioned began filming just before Reacher season 3 dropped.
It’s clear that Child is now fully backing the spinoff and believes Neagley’s character is deserving of her own story. We’re all looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.
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