Alan Ritchson's War Machine 2 Is “Fully” Mapped Out & Is "Going To Be Sick"

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Jai Courtney looks off into the distance while being talked to by Alan Ritchson in a scene from War Machine

Published Mar 6, 2026, 12:15 PM EST

Netflix’s War Machine seems to have real franchise potential, and star Alan Ritchson is here for it.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley for War Machine, Ritchson and director Patrick Hughes revealed that they have indeed thought beyond the movie’s self-contained story and conceived of more adventures for 81. “Tons. Let me say it for him, tons,” Ritchson enthused, indicating that a wealth of sequel material has already been generated. “War Machines is going to be sick. The whole thing, we got a whole thing.”

With Ritchson having teased a possible title for War Machines 2 that pays homage to the sci-fi/horror classic Aliens, Hughes gave more insight into his thinking about the potential for a whole franchise built around the star's silent warrior. “No, no. 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.”

“It's impossible not to, as a writer, to think about,” Hughes continued. “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.”

Asked if he personally knows anything more about his mysterious unnamed character’s backstory, Ritchson predictably avoided giving the game away, while teasing a very long life for a potential War Machine series. “We know. We're not going to say, you got to stick around for the eight sequels.”

Hughes then stepped in to further discuss the matter of 81’s real name, while revealing the classic Western movie archetype that inspired the character. “It was like the biggest argument on set. All the crew were like, ‘No, his name's Gerald.’ And we're like, ‘What?’” He continued, “No, and look, I grew up on a very healthy appetite of Westerns, and one of my favorite story forms is that drifting angel archetype, and it's pale rider. I mean, it's the man with no name. And I really love that story form.”

Hughes also revealed the alternate War Machine he wrote that would have gone even further with the idea of 81 as a strong, silent warrior. “And there was a version of this film -- I wrote a version that was like a silent film. It was just this guy that just literally never said a thing, but it was just put into this world of fire. And then through that horrific experience he goes through, he learns to love himself again. And then through that growth, becomes the ultimate warrior."

He added, “So it really sort of had that circular shape to the narrative that really appealed to me.”

ScreenRant's own largely positive War Machine review calls the release "an action movie you feel in your body, and it mixes in the right dose of sci-fi VFX without losing sight of the character that keeps you caring."

War Machine can currently be streamed on Netflix.