Reacher Fans Cannot Miss Alan Ritchson's New Action Movie That's Out Now

Published Sep 11, 2026, 6:31 PM EDT Shawn S. Lealos is an entertainment writer who is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has written for Screen Rant, CBR, ComicBook, The Direct, The Sportster, Chud, 411mania, Renegade Cinema, Yahoo Movies, and many more. Shawn has a bachelor's degree in professional writing and a minor in film studies from the University of Oklahoma. He also has won numerous awards, including several Columbia Gold Circle Awards and an SPJ honor. He also wrote Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, the first official book about the Dollar Baby film program. Shawn is also currently writing his first fiction novel under a pen name, based in the fantasy genre. To learn more, visit his website at shawnlealos.net. Alan Ritchson has become a hugely popular action star thanks to his Prime Video streaming series Reacher. Based on the best-selling Jack Reacher novels by author Lee Child, Reacher is the second attempt to bring the character to life, following two movies starring Tom Cruise as the title character. Cruise's casting drew criticism for playing a man who is supposed to be well over six feet of solid muscle, and the Prime Video Reacher series satisfies that discrepancy. Ritchson stands six-foot-three and weighs nearly 240 pounds. While the actor is slightly shorter than the six-foot-five that Jack Reacher is in the books, he is imposing and visually delivers what the books showcased. Ritchson also has a huge on-screen personality that has made Reacher one of the most popular streaming shows on Prime Video, with the fourth season wrapping up and a fifth on the way. While Ritchson has been a breakout star on Reacher, his movie career has progressed slowly. His first major movie role was in Fast X, where he played Agent Aimes, someone who ended up as a villain in the film. He had a supporting role in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Finally, his Netflix movie War Machine was his first major hit as a leading man in an action movie. Now, in 2026, Ritchson stars in Runner. Alan Ritchson's Runner Is An Old School Action Movie Runner stars Ritchson as Hank Malone, a former Navy SEAL who has to help a hapless delivery man, Ben (Owen Wilson), deliver a new healthy liver to a sick young girl. However, ruthless mercenaries from a cartel want the liver for their own purposes, and it is up to Hank to keep Ben alive and deliver the liver to the child in need. Directed by Scott Waugh (Expend4bles, Need for Speed), Runner is a throwback action movie, with Ritchson playing the strong and brutal soldier and Wilson as the man who is in way over his head. Waugh, a former stuntman, is best known for his stunts and action scenes in movies, and that is on display here, with non-stop action and a good mix of heart to give Runner the feel of a 1990s action thriller. Why Reacher Fans Will Love Runner Alan Ritchson has built his career on playing big, tough action heroes. Even earlier efforts like DC's Titans saw him playing the strong hero type with Hawk, but one with a little bit of a complex nature. In Reacher, he masters that, playing a man who has done a lot of deadly things in his life, but who is now working on helping people, while using those same skills. That is what Runner looks like. Just like Jack Reacher, Hank is a former soldier, and now he is using his training and skills to help keep a man trying to make a needed delivery safe, all while attempting to save a young girl. There are gunfights and plenty of big stunts, and Runner might be the closest that Ritchson has come so far to bringing a Reacher-style character to the big screen. Release Date September 11, 2026 Runtime 97 minutes Director Scott Waugh Writers Tommy White, Miles Hubley Producers Alan Ritchson, Deborah Glover, Jeffrey Greenstein, Mark Fasano, Todd Garner