Alan Ritchson's Netflix Sci-Fi Phenomenon Gets Massive Sequel Update Only 2 Days After Release

Published Mar 9, 2026, 10:13 AM EDT

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And now, it sounds like he is already thinking beyond just one movie. The cast is led by Ritchson as 81, with Dennis Quaid as Sergeant Major Sheridan, Jai Courtney as Lufkin, Esai Morales as Novak, Stephan James as Slade, Keiynan Lonsdale as Joel, Daniel Webber as Harris, and Blake Richardson as 15.

Speaking to ScreenRant, the actor made it clear that he is already thinking far beyond just one movie. “War Machines is gonna be sick. The whole thing — we got a whole thing,” Ritchson said, before revealing just how much groundwork has already been done for a sequel. And sometimes the obvious title is the best one.

“When I sat down and wrote War Machine, I was like, this is a fully formed standalone story, and heaven forbid, touch wood, if I ever got the opportunity to take it further, I know exactly where it’s going, and I’ve sketched it out.”

That alone is a pretty huge update for a movie that has only just exploded on Netflix. But Ritchson went even further, explaining that he simply could not help building out the future of the story in his head once he connected with the character and the world around him.

“It’s impossible not to, as a writer, to think about,” he said. “I fell in love with the character of 81 and the universe of sort of, everything he’s going through. So look, if that call comes in, then yes, I’m ready to pull the trigger.”

Who Is Alan Ritchson's Character Based On?

One of the more interesting things about Ritchson’s comments is how much affection he clearly has for 81 as a character. He suggested there’s a lot more backstory there than audiences currently know, but he also wants to preserve some of the mystery. Asked how much of 81’s identity has been figured out, Ritchson teased, “We know. We’re not gonna say. You got to stick around for this, for the sequel.”

He even joked that figuring out the character’s real name became a debate behind the scenes.

“We had one of them. It was, like, the biggest argument on set. All the crew were like, ‘No, his name’s Gerald.’”

That mystery is clearly part of the appeal for Ritchson. He also explained that his approach to 81 was shaped by a classic Western archetype, which honestly makes a lot of sense when you look at how the character moves through War Machine.

“I grew up on a very healthy appetite of westerns,” Ritchson said. “One of my favorite story forms is that drifting angel archetype. It’s Pale Rider. It’s the guy, the Man with No Name, and I really love that story form.”

War Machine is streaming now on Netflix.

Release Date March 6, 2026

Runtime 107 minutes

Director Patrick Hughes

Writers Patrick Hughes, James Beaufort

Producers Todd Lieberman, Alexander Young, Patrick Hughes, Greg McLean, Rich Cook