The latest sci-fi action epic from Netflix already has plans in place for a sequel. Making its debut on the popular streaming platform just last week, the movie finds Reacher star and action hero of the hour Alan Ritchson under more firepower than usual after coming across a mysterious metal machine that falls somewhere between the Predator and a Transformer.
Directed, co-produced, and co-written by Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3, The Hitman’s Bodyguard), the sci-fi action thriller in question is War Machine, which hit Netflix with a bang on March 6. The action flick has since been met with solid reviews from both critics and audiences alike, with many praising War Machine’s unashamed approach to no-nonsense thrills and testosterone-fueled action sequences.
War Machine is now dominating Netflix both in the United States and worldwide, and after such success, along with the continuing popularity of Reacher’s Alan Ritchson, talk of a sequel is sure to follow. And it seems it already is, as Ritchson and director Patrick Hughes have revealed to ScreenRant that they already have plans for further adventures for Ritchson’s mysterious Staff Sergeant 81 that will no doubt build on what War Machine leaves behind. Addressing the idea of a sequel, Ritchson even invoked one of the greatest sci-fi action movies of all time: James Cameron’s Aliens.
“Tons. Let me say it for him, tons. War Machines is going to be sick. The whole thing, we got a whole thing.”
Adding an “s” to the original title is the expertly slick move made by Cameron when following Ridley Scott’s Alien, with Ritchson clearly hoping to match the iconic franchise’s success. Hughes, meanwhile, revealed that he knows “exactly” where a sequel would go and has already “sketched it out.”
“It’s impossible not to, as a writer, to think about. 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.”
Taking inspiration from a Pale Rider-esque Western lead, Ritchson’s 81 has no name and is very much the strong, silent type throughout War Machine. The idea was initially to have 81 never say a thing (something that Ritchson has already done in the upcoming Motor City), but while the character does talk a little, we still know very little about him or his backstory. But Ritchson and Hughes know, and no doubt it would be addressed should War Machine 2, aka War Machines ever happen. Though Ritchson is giving nothing away…
“We know. We’re not going to say, you got to stick around for the eight sequels.”
While the first War Machine follows a simple structure as a team of Army Rangers in training, who, while on one last grueling mission, are forced to fight and survive against a giant otherworldly killing machine, a sequel could greatly expand on this isolated story. Without spoiling too much, War Machine hints at a far bigger world, and an even bigger threat, with Ritchson’s 81 poised as humanity’s savior. Surely Netflix would be foolish to pass up such an opportunity.
- Release Date
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March 6, 2026
- Runtime
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107 minutes
- Director
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Patrick Hughes
- Writers
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Patrick Hughes, James Beaufort
- Producers
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Todd Lieberman, Alexander Young, Patrick Hughes, Greg McLean, Rich Cook
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