Amazon’s Prime Video orders Reacher spin-off starring Maria Sten

Amazon-owned Prime Video has ordered a Reacher spin-off starring Maria Sten, produced by Skydance Television, CBS Studios and Amazon MGM Studios, as the latter gears up to return to Mipcom.

Maria Sten

The as-yet-untitled series is created by co-showrunners and executive producers Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton and will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The announcement was made by Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, at the Prime Video Presents: Trailblazers event in London yesterday.

Salke was joined by VP of Prime Video International, Kelly Day at the event, which featured guest appearances from actors Priyanka-Chopra Jonas, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, directors Charlotte Brändström and Louise Hooper, and producers Amy Pascal, Sue Vertue and Lindsey Weber.

The Reacher spin-off commission comes after the streaming service launched the second season of its series based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child towards the end of last year, while production on season three took place this year.

The spin-off will follow Sten’s character of Frances Neagley, a private investigator in Chicago. When she learns that a beloved friend from her past has been killed in a suspicious accident, she becomes hell bent on justice.

Using everything she’s learned from Jack Reacher and her time as a member of the 110 Special Investigators, Neagley puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil.

“As Reacher continues to resonate with our global customers in a profound way, expanding on the storytelling and characters with a spinoff was an easy decision,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios.

“With Nick and Nicholas as well as our partners Skydance and CBS Studios, we’re confident this new chapter, starring the amazing Maria Sten, will not only honour the Reacher legacy but also bring fresh energy and excitement to new and longtime fans alike.”

In addition to Santora and Wootton, the series is executive produced by Child, Don Granger, and Lisa Kussner with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Matt Thunell for Skydance Television. Carolyn Harris, Kenny Madrid, and Niko Fernandez will oversee the project for Skydance.

The series marks Skydance Television’s seventh project with Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video following Reacher, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, as well as the upcoming Cross and the recently announced The Runarounds, an action-adventure series starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham, and a docuseries on the Idaho Murders.

In related news, Amazon MGM Studios Distribution will return to Mipcom later this month a year after launching the distribution division for Amazon and MGM+ originals and library titles.

Limited series Earth Abides (6×60′), based on George R. Stewart’s sci-fi novel of the same name and the sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale, starring Elizabeth Moss, are among the TV titles being launched in Cannes.