He’s already danced in his undies to Stevie Wright in a shark-obsessed Aussie horror flick, butJai Courtneyis just as pumped to see someone else take the lead—especially if that someone isAlan Ritchson. TheDangerous Animalsactor, who once went toe-to-toe withTom Cruisein 2012’sJack Reacher, spoke with Forbes aboutWar Machine, the upcoming sci-fi action film he stars in alongside Ritchson. And despite missing out on the lead role in Prime Video’s hitReacherseries, Courtney says there are no hard feelings—just admiration.
Instead,Ritchson stepped into the role and quickly became an idolin the action genre, fully becoming the towering, take-no-prisoners human fridge fromLee Child’sbooks with brute strength and dry wit. The role launched him into the action spotlight, and Courtney couldn’t be more impressed.
“Alan’s great in that, and he’s great inWar Machine.I admire that dude and what he’s doing. It’s weirdly cool to see big, burly blokes getting roles because there was such a fear for a while. I know we’ve always had iconic action stars with certain physiques, but as someone who’s not small, it’s nice to see dudes in dramatic roles who aren’t getting pigeonholed so much. He’s getting a chance to do that with a lot of the work he’s setting up, so props to him. I can’t wait to see how that movie does.”
What Is ‘War Machine’ About?
Directed byPatrick Hughes(The Hitman’s Bodyguard),War Machinefollows the final class of elite special forces recruitswho face a terrifying and possibly extraterrestrial threat. The Netflix film is currently in post-production, and starsDennis Quaid,Stephan James,Esai Morales, andKeiynan Lonsdale, with Courtney playing one of the hardened Rangers.It marks another big role and step towards the A-list for Ritchson, who’s also been lighting up screens inFast XandReacherSeason 3, with Season 4 on the way.
Courtney, for his part, has been building his own genre résumé. His latest film,Dangerous Animals, hit theaters on Friday, and sees him play Tucker—a shark-obsessed killer who lures surfers onto his boat and films their watery deaths. The R-rated thriller starsYellowstone’sHassie Harrisonand is directed byThe Loved Ones’Sean Byrne.
Reacheris available to stream now on Prime Video, whileDangerous Animalsis currently playing in theaters. Be sure to stay tuned to Collider to keep up with all the latest news onReacher.
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.
Source:Forbes
