TheReacheruniverse is officially expanding, andMaria Stenis right in the middle of it. WithReacherSeason 3 set to debut later this week, Prime Video is already fast-tracking a spin-off focused on Frances Neagley, Reacher’s former military ally and trusted confidante. Collider’sChristina Radishcaught up with Sten ahead ofReacherSeason 3 to discuss her reaction to the spin-off, the fast-paced nature of its development — you’ll never believe when it starts shooting —and what fans can expect from Neagley’s solo mission.ForReacherfans, the idea of a Neagley-centric series has been an exciting possibility, but Sten admits she didn’t take early conversations too seriously. She told Collider:
“There’s always rumors. There’s always, ‘In success, maybe this could happen.’ And you’re like, ‘Uh huh, sure,’ because it’s Hollywood, right? It’s not over until it’s over and it’s printed and has aired. So, I always just took it like, ‘Oh, that’d be interesting, but it doesn’t mean anything to me if it’s not a concrete thing that is happening. I’m cautiously optimistic in that way. And so, it wasn’t really until after Season 2, going into Season 3, that the conversation started becoming more real. And then, the show didn’t get officially greenlit until October.”
The fast-paced nature of TV production meant Sten didn’t have much time to process the news before things were already moving forward, adding that the series would actually begin shooting in the next 24 hours. “We are moving quite quickly on it. The first shoot day is tomorrow," said Sten. “They moved fast on that one. That is how they had to approach it, in terms of timing it out with theReachershow. And it feels very much true to how my experience of the show has been. ‘Am I doing something? Am I not doing something? Oh, I’m doing something. Okay, great. Let’s go.’ So, it’s exciting.”
What Will ‘Neagley’ Be About?
UnlikeReacher, which follows Jack “Don’t Call Me Jack” Reacher’s nomadic lifestyle and addiction to punching things,Neagley is an established private investigator, meaning she has deeper ties to the world around her. Sten revealed that the spin-off will explore aspects of Neagley’s life that couldn’t be covered inReacherdue to its focus on the titular beefcake. She explained:
“Neagley has a lot going on in her life. She has a history, and she has a life lived. She has some quite severe personal issues of her own that she’s grappling with. We just get to know her better and see her grapple with these issues. For anybody who likes the character, I think it’ll be nice to get to know her a little bit better. And we have rounded up such a great cast for this season of Neagley. I’m just thrilled to get going and sink my teeth in.”
The spin-off will allow fans to see a different side of Neagley, not just as the sidekick ofAlan Ritchson’s Reacher, but also about her personal struggles and how her professional life often bleeds into them. “I’m so impressed with what they were able to do with the scripts forthis Neagley show,” she added. “It’s so its own thing, but of course, true to theReacherspirit. It’s Neagley. It’s about her. It certainly is about what’s going on in her personal life, as well as her professional life.Most of the time, for people like this, the two tend to overlap.So, I’m just excited to dive into that and explore the emotional life of the character, as well asthe badass private investigator workthat she will be doing.”
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates onReacher.Season 3 will drop on February 20. The first two seasons can be watched on Prime Video now.
