‘War Machine’ gets exciting sequel update as Alan Ritchson's hit becomes one of Netflix's most-watched films
Following an interesting turn of events, the Alan Ritchson movie 'War Machine' on Netflix is now slated to receive a sequel. The science fiction military-themed movie premiered on the streaming platform earlier this year, on March 26, and has since amassed over 139 million views, as per Deadline. This impressive viewership helped the film secure a place among Netflix's 10 most popular original films of all time. The movie follows Ritchson's character, a traumatized but determined staff sergeant who is forced to confront a lethal and almost indestructible state-of-the-art killing machine during a simulated Special Ops boot camp mission.
It has also been reported that Patrick Hughes, best known for his work on 'The Hitman's Bodyguard' and 'The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard,' will return to direct the sequel. As of this writing, an official release window has not been announced by Netflix. However, Hughes will co-write the screenplay in association with James Beaufort. Hughes is also serving as the producer alongside Todd Lieberman via Hidden Pictures. The other producers on board include Rich Cook of Range Media and Greg McLean, representing the Huge Films banner. Alex Young is also producing for Hidden Pictures, alongside executive producer Valerie Bleth.
In terms of the plot, it is unclear whether the sequel will pick up in the aftermath of the events of 'War Machine'. It must be noted that there is room for improvisation in this regard since the movie had an open ending, with Ritchson's character ultimately emerging victorious against the killing machine. As of now, the film is ranked at No. 10 on Netflix's Top 10 list, but has the potential to climb up to No. 9 as the streamer continues to take stock of viewership data up until the 91-day mark.
Ritchson is widely known as the eponymous protagonist of the popular Prime Video series 'Reacher', based on author Lee Child's best-selling book series. He also plays Hank/Hawk in the DC Universe and in the HBO Max series 'Titans'. While the ensemble cast of 'War Machine' included Stephan James, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, and Dennis Quaid, it has not been confirmed if Ritchson himself will return for the sequel. Elsewhere, Netflix also confirmed that another one of its original movies, 'Ladies First,' featuring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, has made its way to the top spot on the Top 10 list with a total of 18.8 million views.
