As such, there was plenty of material for the makers of Reacher to choose from. Would they adapt the first book released and then just go in release order? Would they jump from book to book to follow the chronological order of the character? Or would they just choose whichever book they wanted to adapt from throughout the series, as the movies Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back did?
What book is Reacher based on?
Though the first book to come out, Killing Floor is now the fourth Jack Reacher book in the official chronology, behind The Enemy (2004), Night School (2016) and The Affair (2011), as well as a number of short stories.
However, this book provides a great jumping-in point for the series, as the character has to introduce himself to the characters he encounters throughout the story—and, by extension, us as viewers. Or, as Child put it in a Toronto Sun interview: “In that book, Reacher is learning to be Reacher.”
At the start of the novel (and series), Reacher is drifting around the country with no phone and very little in the way of possessions. When he gets caught up in the middle of a small town murder, however, this previously mysterious man has to start revealing some things about himself to try and get himself untangled from the crime.
Starting with Killing Floor also serves to set this series apart from the films. The first Jack Reacher movie was based on the ninth book in the series, One Shot (11th in the overall Reacher chronology), while the second film was based on 18th book Never Go Back.
In a Collider interview, Ritchson hinted that, should the show get future seasons, it will continue to follow the release order of the books. The actor said: “I’ll say that we’re gonna be doing a book a season, so the first season will be the first book…I think spending a season on each book is gonna be really enjoyable for audiences.”
