When it comes to pop culture icons from across the pond, James Bond arguably stands above the rest. Commander Bond has long captured the attention of fans (including those here in the states) with his intelligence, charm and keen espionage-related skills. A notable actor who counts themselves among the many that enjoy the secret agent’s exploits is Alan Ritchson, who currently plays the eponymous role on Reacher. Interestingly, the leading man just shared a take regarding why Jack Reacher is the “American” counterpart to 007. And, honestly, I can see where he’s coming from.
The actor couldn’t help but gush about Bond while discussing his love for his own character. During his interview with EW, Alan Ritchson explained what draws him to both of the “larger-than-life” heroes. From there though, he also explained what he believes makes them somewhat different. That led to Ritchson sharing an honest critique about the famous MI6 operative who enjoys his drinks shaken and not stirred:
It’s funny, I kind of feel like Reacher is the American James Bond. And I’ve never had more fun playing a character. I love those larger-than-life, over-the-top action thrillers and spy movies and the heists that are smart and ahead of the audience. That’s really great, but I feel like Bond, to me personally — people are going to hate me for saying this — I love Bond, but I feel like it’s all a little misogynistic and predictable at this point.
Make no mistake, the long line of James Bond movies do include a vast amount of nuance, and that’s especially true of the latest saga of films that featured Daniel Craig in the lead role. However, in a way, I understand where the Fast X alum is coming from, as some of the films can employ tropes that, by today’s standards, are a bit dated. What I agree with even more, though, are the additional comments the star shared. He still maintained that Jack Reacher is the “American” Bond, and one additional point he mentioned really drove that assertion home for me:
[Bond] can play 4D chess and stay ahead of us and save the world. Reacher, to me, is like the American Bond, and I think it’s a cool way to go about doing it where it’s a little less purposefully cool. He’s not in on how slick he is. I don’t feel like we can have characters these days that are in on the joke. Either they know that they’re funny, they know that they’re smart, they know that they’re very cool or capable or invincible — I feel like it reduces the stakes of stories, and we’ve seen too many movies, we’re too savvy as an audience to be entertained by that.
Most would probably agree that Reacher isn’t as suave or polished as Commander Bond is, and that tracks with the “American” counterpart argument. I’d argue that when it comes to our action heroes, many of us here in the states love them to be a bit more “rough and tumble.” Also, we have characters that are a bit more self-aware in some regards, which is refreshing. Of course, what bonds (no pun intended) Jack and James together, though, is their shared devotion to their country. So, given all of that, I’d agree that Reacher is somewhat like an U.S. counterpart of 007.
Speaking of the famous agent, there’s been a lot of speculation regarding the future of his long-running franchise. Since the ending of No Time to Die sent off Daniel Craig’s iteration of James, many have been wondering who’ll grab the baton next. It was reported in March that Aaron-Taylor Johnson was tapped for Bond, though that has not been confirmed (or denied) by producer Barbara Broccoli and co.
While rumors continue to fly around that topic, the future of Alan Ritchson’s fan-favorite show seems set at the moment. Fans know Reacher Season 3 is coming, and one would hope that it’ll be available for Prime Video subscribers amid the 2024 TV schedule. On top of that, it sounds like Ritchson is keen on playing the character for as long as he’s physically able to. In doing so, he’ll surely look to exude the heroic and sometimes messy charm of the character he astutely refers to as “the American James Bond.”