Alan Ritchson is praised by hisWar Machineco-star Dennis Quaid, who says the upcoming Netflix sci-fi action movie is “a blast to watch.” Prime Video’s smash hitReachermade a modern-day action hero of Ritchson, who is now building out his brand by launching into feature films, while still getting ready forReacherseason 4. One of his biggest forthcoming projects, Netflix’sWar Machine, propels Ritchson into sci-fi territory,in an action vehicle about special ops boot camp recruits facing down a deadly threat from another world.
While Ritchson brings muscle toWar Machine, veteran co-star Quaid brings age and wisdom, a role he seems to have embraced wholeheartedly,talking recently of the good time he had shooting the movie in Australia, while offering effusive praise for his physically imposing co-star(viaMovieWeb):
“I had a blast down there in Australia for a couple of weeks. It was great, because I got to play the general and I never got my uniform dirty at all. Wonderful. Alan was up to his chest and mud. He’s really good in this and it’s, it’s going to be wild to watch.”
What This Means For War Machine
Ritchson Says It’s The Biggest Netflix Movie Ever
Announced as the star ofWar Machinelast May, Ritchson hyped up the project in aWiredinterview back in March 2025, teasing the size and coolness of the Netflix film, which was acquired by the streamer from Lionsgate::
War Machine for Netflix [is coming soon.] I think, and you heard it here first, [it’s] probably gonna be the b- no, not probably. [It’s] gonna be the biggest movie that Netflix has ever had. This movie is gonna be a monster. This is the coolest thing they’ve ever made, guaranteed.
War Machineplot details are being kept under wraps for now, but the movie’s sci-fi angle is indeed intriguing, offering a change-up for Ritchson, who has yet to tackle the genre as the lead. Quaid’s remarks offer little new information about the movie’sStarship Troopers-like story, but he does give some details about his own character, revealing that he’s a general who never has to get his uniform dirty, suggesting that he’ll be out of the main action, but will have a pivotal role in leading the fight against the movie’s otherworldly threat.
War Machinealso stars Stephan James, Jai Courtney and Esai Morales
As the veteran star who has aged out of his action-hero era, Quaid doesn’t have to worry about getting down in the mud. Ritchson, on the other hand, is in the prime of his career,and it sounds likeWar Machinewill see him in full-on Schwarzenegger/Predatormode, literally getting up to his chest in mud while battling some kind of alien menace.
The Hype Is Building
Image via Paramount+
Ritchson’s promise thatWar Machinewill be the “biggest” and “coolest” Netflix movie ever may be hyperbole, but Quaid at least seems in agreement about the film’s fun factor, touting the “blast” he had shooting it. Ritchson was seemingly all-in during shooting, at one point subjecting himself to a full-on mud-bath, in the grand action-hero tradition of Schwarzenegger and Stallone.
It’s too soon to tell how Ritchson’s post-Reacheraction-hero career will work out, but he’s lined up several projects that could go a long way toward establishing him as the successor to the likes of Schwarzenegger, Stallone and The Rock. Schwarzenegger indeed figures in the next movie up for Ritchson, the Christmas action-comedyThe Man With the Bag.
IfThe Man With the Bagis Ritchson’sJingle All the Way, thenWar Machineis perhaps hisPredator. Schwarzenegger’s own action-hero trajectory was given a huge boost by the first movie in the long-runningPredatorfranchise, and Ritchson is hoping his upcoming Netflix movie will do the same for him.
