Reacher’s bestie Neagley is set to get her own spinoff, which has the chance to revisit the story of Tom Cruise’s 2012 movie. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books have been bestsellers for over 20 years, but casting an actor with both the hulking physique and smarts of the character proved near impossible when it came to a movie version. This is why Tom Cruise was cast as Reacher when it was decided it was more important to convey the character’s determination and detective brain than flexing his muscles.

Cruise’s casting remains controversial for fans since the wandering avenger’s size is an important part of Child’s novels. Still, the critical reputation of Cruise’s Jack Reacher film has only grown over time and is now considered one of the star’s most underrated works. Alan Ritchson inherited the part for Amazon’s Reacher, and the show has proven both a critical and ratings hit. It’s such a success that Reacher’s best friend Neagley (Maria Sten) is set to get her very own solo series too (via Deadline).

The Neagley Spinoff Should Readapt One Shot

The story for the Reacher spinoff is currently unknown

It should be noted that while the Neagley show is nearing a greenlight, it’s still not officially confirmed. No potential story details have been revealed either, though Alan Ritchson’s Reacher is expected to make a guest appearance. Given that Neagley is a former member of Reacher’s elite 110th Special Investigators and works as a private investigator, there are plenty of scenarios where she could find herself in trouble. If the Neagley spinoff must adapt one of Child’s books, then re-adapting One Shot would be the most logical choice for it.

Considering Neagley hasn’t fronted any solo novels of her own, using the blueprint of a classic Reacher case for the spinoff’s first season wouldn’t be a bad idea.

One Shot is the ninth novel in the Jack Reacher book series and follows the titular character as he investigates a mass shooting. Reacher knows the alleged killer James Barr from his time in the military, which is what pulls him into the investigation. One Shot is considered one of the best of the series, so it made a natural choice for the Christopher McQuarrie-helmed film. That said, it had to change a lot from Child’s source material, but a TV adaptation would give it way more breathing room.

Changes would have to be made to swap out Neagley for Reacher, but since One Shot’s case relates directly to their time in the 110th, it could work. Neagley would have encountered James Barr too, so it’s conceivable she would get contacted about the case, especially since Reacher isn’t the easiest guy to get in touch with. Considering Neagley hasn’t fronted any solo novels of her own, using the blueprint of a classic Reacher case for the spinoff’s first season wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher Movie Condensed Much Of One Shot’s Story

Cruise’s film also dropped Reacher’s wildest kill

Every Jack Reacher Movie & Show
Book Adapted

Jack Reacher (2012)
One Shot (2005)

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
Never Go Back (2013)

Reacher: Season 1 (2022)
Killing Floor (1997)

Reacher: Season 2 (2023-2024)
Bad Luck and Trouble (2007)

Reacher: Season 3 (2025)
Persuader (2003)

Both of Cruise’s Jack Reacher movies had to chop out passages and characters from their novels to work as feature-length narratives. Never Go Back changed far more, but Jack Reacher excised several characters from One Shot to get the story moving faster. A major character in the book is reporter Ann Yanni, who aides Reacher’s investigation in hopes of covering the story herself. Despite being a key figure in Child’s book, she is completely absent from the 2012 thriller.

Also missing is Barr’s sister Rosemary, who again plays an important part in the story. Much of their plot function went to Rosamund Pike’s defense attorney Helen Rodin, which is an example of the changes McQuarrie had to make to condense the book’s plot. That also means that a Neagley-led adaptation of One Shot would have more time to let the story unfold as it did in the Child’s text.

Reacher season 3 will adapt Child’s Persuader , and despite not appearing in the book Neagley will also return for the series.

The movie and book play out in broadly similar fashions, but the specifics are often different. For example, Jack Reacher ends with Cruise’s avenger driving into a quarry and straight-up shooting all the villains. The book is more involved, including a passage with Reacher’s most outrageous kill involving bearhugging a goon to death while trying to remain stealthy. Neagley probably doesn’t have the upper body strength to pull that off – though maybe Alan Ritchson’s guest appearance can make this wild kill a reality.

It Would Be A Terrible Idea For Amazon’s Reacher To Remake One Shot

In the case of Tom Cruise vs Alan Ritchson, everybody loses

Reacher season 2 adapted Bad Luck and Trouble, where the surviving 110th reunited to find out who killed some of their friends. In Amazon’s adaptation, the show seemingly ruled out a direct One Shot adaptation, with Reacher cryptically claiming he ran into Barr in Indiana a year prior. This is where the One Shot novel is set, with the implication being that the events of that story played out in between seasons.

It’s not a hot take to suggest Alan Ritchson is a better fit for the role in terms of size and screen persona, so it might be seen as petty for Amazon’s thriller to remake One Shot with a more “suitable” actor…

This was read as a smart move since it ruled out the show redoing One Shot in the future. In truth, this would be a terrible idea, and would needlessly reignite the controversy over Cruise’s Jack Reacher casting again. It’s not a hot take to suggest Ritchson is a better fit for the role in terms of size and screen persona, so it might be seen as petty for Amazon’s thriller to remake One Shot with a more “suitable” actor in the role.

Plus, there are over 20 other novels in Child’s series for future seasons to focus on, with more being published every year. Reacher isn’t hurting for stories to adapt, so there would be little to gain from going back to One Shot. That said, the source material is just different enough that Neagley’s solo series could use it as inspiration.

The Neagley Show Needs To Stay True To Lee Child’s Books

The Reacher offshoot has no clear roadmap

Reacher has been such an oversized hit for Amazon it makes sense to try a spinoff, and Neagley is the perfect character to attempt it with. Sten played a supporting role in season 1 – despite Neagley never even appearing in the source book Killing Floor – and stole her scenes, and returned for a leading role the second year. What’s tricky for the spinoff is that Neagley has never fronted a novel, so the question is, do the showrunners rework an existing Reacher story or invent one wholesale?

Lee Child has now retired from penning the Jack Reacher novels and handed that duty over to his brother Andrew Child.

It will be intriguing to see which direction they take, but the show must remain true to Child’s work. The author has a distinct grasp of plot and character, and for the most part, Reacher has done a great job capturing that. If the story is original, it would be good for Lee Child to serve as a creative consultant or even write some of the spinoff himself.

The worst thing that could happen would be to take a great character like Neagley and strand her in some bog-standard procedural. The spinoff needs to be more than a pale imitation of Reacher itself, which is why pulling from the work of Child is crucial. Whether the show does or not is another story.