Published Feb 5, 2026, 3:55 PM EST
Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.
Alan Ritchson's upcoming Netflix action movie War Machine is a thinly veiled riff on Predator - but there's another Arnold Schwarzenegger classic it's drawing from. There are plenty of upcoming Alan Ritchson movies and TV shows on the horizon, from Reacher season 4 and spinoff Neagley to the silent action flick Motor City.
The trailer for Ritchson's War Machine has just debuted and will land on Netflix on March 6. This casts him as "81," a combat engineer taking part in a harrowing Ranger selection course. However, he and his fellow soldiers soon happen upon a destructive alien robot that hunts them down one by one.
Alan Ritchson's War Machine Feels A Remake Of Both Predator AND Terminator
Ben King/Netflix © 2026.War Machine's trailer makes it look like an inspirational military drama right before the alien mecha (which bears a resemblance to Metal Gear Rex from 1998's Metal Gear Solid) turns up. It's at that point the film starts to play like a loose remake of Predator, as Ritchson's 81 and his men are pursued through the jungle.
That's not the only Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie War Machine is drawing from, though. The robot itself gives off some Terminator vibes, to the point where it feels like the movie's original pitch was "What if the Predator was replaced by a Terminator?"
Of course, there are key differences. The robot in War Machine is decidedly not a humanoid figure, looking more like the Hunter-Killer Tanks that stalk the post-apocalyptic landscape of the Future War. Still, it does feel like War Machine is something of a two-for-one special when it comes to homaging classic Arnie movies.
Alan Ritchson Has Become The Modern Successor To Stars Like Schwarzenegger And Stallone
With the success of Reacher, Ritchson has come to be seen as a modern-day equivalent of the action stars of the past. He's got the physique and charisma, and it helps that he's also a solid actor. In terms of movies, he has yet to land a classic, with Fast X and Playdate just not cutting it.
Still, with the likes of War Machine and Motor City (which has earned raves during previews), 2026 could be the year Ritchson transitions to the big screen. If he's following in the footsteps of giants like Arnie, it makes sense he would appear in projects that nod to his work, and "Predator, but with a Terminator" is a compelling pitch.
Alan Ritchson Will Star Alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger In An Upcoming Comedy
Of course, Ritchson will need to establish his own identity as an action star, but doing his own riff on hits from the past isn't the worst idea either. While the film doesn't have a release date yet, 2026 will likely see the arrival of The Man with the Bag, where Ritchson will co-star alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.
This will be a buddy action comedy where Santa (Schwarzenegger) must team with Alan Ritchson's thief to recover his stolen present sack. Man with the Bag sounds far more lighthearted than War Machine, but combining an icon like Arnie with the star helping keep his action tradition alive reads like a delightful idea.
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Birthdate November 28, 1982
Birthplace Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
Height 6 feet 2 inches
Notable Projects Reacher, Titans, Fast X
English (US) ·