Alan Ritchson has quickly proven himself to be one of the most impressive and exciting action stars of recent years. His towering physique, coupled with his commanding stage presence and versatility, has been one of the standouts of the first two seasons of the Prime Video series Reacher. In Reacher, Ritchson plays the titular character, Jack, a former member of the U.S. military with a wide range of fighting and intellectual abilities.
His uncanny ability to balance his incredible physical feats with emotional nuance has made him one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood right now. At ScreenRant, we would personally love to see Ritchson join a whole variety of movie franchises, elevating his status as an actor while also capitalizing on his unique qualities as one. Ritchson’s time on Reacher, as well as his various other movie and television projects over the years, would clearly make him a great fit for all of these franchises.
10 The Expendables
A Franchise Renowned For Its Action Stars
The Expendables franchise has become a true icon of 21st-century action movies, and consists of various ensembles of the biggest action stars ever. The movie series follows Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), the leader of the titular group of mercenaries who engage in a variety of highly dangerous missions, including overthrowing dictators and taking down arms dealers. As one of the most exciting action stars of recent years, Ritchson would be a perfect fit to join The Expendables franchise, with his sheer physicality adding an extra layer of strength to the team.
Ritchson would be a refreshing addition to The Expendables, with his background in action roles, especially as Jack Reacher, assisting him greatly. His razor-sharp charisma and knack for blending physicality with wit would blend incredibly well with the over-the-top action and humor that has come to define the franchise. Stallone has already confirmed that he is working on The Expendables‘ fifth installment, meaning it may be the perfect time to cast Ritchson in one of the most exciting action franchises in recent years.
9 Terminator
A Versatile Option
The Terminator franchise has thrived on gritty action with a hefty dose of sci-fi themes, and Ritchson may be the ideal actor to carry the movies into the future. With James Cameron working on a script for the unconfirmed Terminator 7, Ritchson is the perfect choice here. His steely on-screen intensity coupled with his ability to produce moments of incredible emotion means that if he were to join the Terminator franchise, he would have a wide range of versatility of roles that may suit him.
Obviously, Ritchson’s physique and experience in intimidating roles would make him a great choice to play a new breed of Terminator, embodying the same strength that Arnold Schwarzenegger first brought to the T-800 in the original movie. Alternatively, Ritchson would also not look out of place portraying a human freedom fighter in the resistance against Skynet, with his role in Reacher already demonstrating that the actor knows how to play a survivalist character incredibly well. Ultimately, Ritchson could join the Terminator franchise in any capacity, and we would all still watch.
8 Star Wars
Grounding The Franchise
Star Wars is an ever-expanding franchise set in a universe with endless potential. This is a potential that could be fulfilled by Ritchson if he were to join the iconic franchise in a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars has often been defined by its ability to produce some of the most memorable heroes, villains, and anti-heroes in fiction, and Ritchson could easily slip into any one of these roles. With a history of playing morally ambiguous characters who don’t always operate with a strict code of ethics, Star Wars could be a great place for Ritchson to thrive.
Ritchson has proven to be unafraid of gritty characters, and a bounty hunter in
Star Wars
could be an excellent way to ground the franchise in a refreshingly small-scale narrative.
Ritchson’s ability to project both strength and emotion could make him an ideal casting choice for either a new Jedi Knight or Sith Lord, as the actor commands an intimidating presence in any role. Outside of regular Force users, Ritchson’s action experience and physique would also make for a compelling new anti-hero, potentially a bounty hunter similar to Boba Fett or Din Djarin. Ritchson has proven to be unafraid of gritty characters, and a bounty hunter in Star Wars could be an excellent way to ground the franchise in a refreshingly small-scale narrative.
7 Mad Max
The Mad Max Franchise Is A Perfect Fit
With the recent release of the excellent movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, George Miller’s iconic post-apocalyptic action franchise Mad Max would be a great place for Ritchson to find himself cast in. The raw physicality of the actor and his ability to play stoic, hardened warriors would be an excellent addition to the series going forward. Ritchson’s rugged persona and survivalist acting experience would allow him to blend in exceptionally well with the other gritty, chaotic characters of the Mad Max universe.
Ritchson’s extensive acting background in action movies would fit seamlessly into Mad Max‘s premise, allowing him to play a wide array of different characters. From a lone survivor hellbent on revenge, to a retired military man, Ritchson’s ability to convey vulnerability amid the chaos of the universe would add great levels of emotional depth to the franchise. The scorched, desolate landscape of the Australian Outback may well be the perfect place for Ritchson to grow as an actor.
6 Alien
A Refreshing Addition To The Franchise
The Alien franchise has long been critically acclaimed for its incredible blend of survival horror and sci-fi, and features a premise that Ritchson would truly excel in. Alien tells the story of humans of the distant future and their interactions with the deadly extra-terrestrial Xenomorphs. With the most recent installment, Alien: Romulus succeeding both critically and at the box office, the time is ripe to build upon the success of the franchise, and this could involve Ritchson at the core.
Ritchson’s towering physique would be a perfect fit for a no-nonsense soldier, bringing a true sense of authority and leadership to the franchise. His emotional range as an actor means that he would be able to break way from typical tough-guy movie stereotypes and could become a true hero of the Alien franchise. Alien is a franchise that would allow Ritchson to relish the opportunity to truly fit in with his survivalist and action movie abilities, with his unique blend of action-star bravado and nuanced emotion bringing new energy to the movies.
5 The DC Universe
Ideal Choice For A Specific Character
As DC begins to enter a new phase of reconstruction under new co-chairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran, it is likely that the studio will be looking for many big names to join their roster in the newly branded DC Universe (DCU), and Ritchson could be the perfect choice. His imposing stature and ability to embody true power would make Ritchson a worthy cast member in any DC project. However, there is one major DC character that I believe would truly shine if Ritchson was cast as them.
Not only does Ritchson’s physicality resemble Bane’s, but his ability to combine this brute strength with a cunning intelligence would add a layer of depth to the character that may even surpass that of Hardy’s adaptation.
While Tom Hardy’s performance as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises was incredible and has become a staple of how to play a comic-book villain, it’s hard to deny that Ritchson would be perfect for the role. Not only does Ritchson’s physicality resemble Bane’s, but his ability to combine this brute strength with a cunning intelligence would add a layer of depth to the character that may even surpass that of Hardy’s adaptation. Ritchson is also no stranger to DC roles, having played Hawk in the TV show, Titans, further proving his eligibility for portraying the supervillain as the DCU moves forward.
4 The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Gritty And Grounded
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has firmly established itself as a long-running superhero franchise, yet the lukewarm reactions to recent projects have left many audiences feeling fatigued. If Ritchson were to join the MCU, he could play a major role in refreshing the franchise for the future. His ability to play larger-than-life characters while also maintaining a small-scale sense of emotional nuance would make him the perfect addition here.
The MCU has been severely lacking in the thriller department since the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, and, given Ritchson’s extensive experience portraying gritty, grounded characters, such as Jack Reacher, he would be the perfect choice here. With the much-anticipated Daredevil: Born Again series releasing in 2025, it seems as though the MCU is taking a more grounded approach to some of their projects, meaning the time is ripe for Ritchson to be cast in a street level role. Alternatively, Ritchson would also excel at playing some cosmic superhero or villain as the MCU seeks to explore further and further into the wider universe.
3 The Karate Kid
A Unique Discipline Of Karate
Given his past history as an action star, it comes as no surprise that Ritchson would be a perfect cast member in the future of one of the most iconic martial arts franchises of all time. The Karate Kid centers around children learning the ways of karate from various different senseis, such as Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita) or Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). However, Ritchson would truly excel as playing a rival dojo’s head sensei, one who brings a sense of brutal militarism to the martial art.
With a new Karate Kid movie releasing in 2025, the time is ripe to cast Ritchson in this more villainous role. His intimidating physique and stage presence would make him the perfect antagonist to the more peaceful karate of Miyagi-do. Ritchson’s ability to tap into the emotional depth of his characters would also be a welcome addition here, as the Karate Kid franchise has a history of reforming their villains through emotional evolution, such as Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).
2 John Wick
Bringing The Action
A franchise renowned for it’s meticulously crafted hand-to-hand combat scenes and incredible stunts, John Wick would be the ideal franchise from which Ritchson can develop his career. His sheer physicality, combined with his experience in intense action roles, would make him the ideal candidate for being cast in a future installment in the franchise. Due to the nature of the John Wick franchise, there are various roles that Ritchson could easily slip into.
As Jack Reacher, Ritchson has already demonstrated his brooding emotional intensity, a must-have for any actor looking to join the
John Wick
franchise.
Seeing him go up against John Wick (Keanu Reeves) himself as a deadly adversary would be undeniably cool to watch, with the actor being able to bring his own unique brutal fighting style to the universe. However, it would potentially be even cooler to see Ritchson fight alongside Wick, potentially as a former military operative who is called upon to assist the assassin. As Jack Reacher, Ritchson has already demonstrated his brooding emotional intensity, a must-have for any actor looking to join the John Wick franchise.
1 The Fast And The Furious
Already Joined And Made An Impression
While Ritchson is already part of The Fast and the Furious franchise, we are nevertheless extremely excited to see where his character goes. Ritchson joined The Fast and the Furious franchise in 2023’s Fast X, portraying the villainous Aimes. Aimes becomes the de facto leader of the Agency since the disappearance of Mr Nobody, and begins a manhunt for Dom Torretto (Vin Diesel) and his family. Eventually, he teams up with Dom to fight Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa).
However, in a shocking twist, Aimes is revealed to be a double agent working for Dante, and shoots down a plane that was intended to rescue Dom. Fast X‘s cliffhanger ending makes Ritchson’s character all the more compelling, with his combination of athleticism and emotional nuance adding a compelling layer of depth to the franchise. Fast and Furious‘ eleventh installment is set to be the final movie of the franchise, and we’re all hoping to see some more of Ritchson’s Aimes before the series reaches its conclusion.
