With confirmation that Amazon Prime Video’sReacherseason 4 will be based onthe Lee Child novelGone Tomorrow, the adaptation already faces a big challenge, starting with its opening scene.Gone Tomorrowis the 13th book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child and was originally published back in 2009. The story centers on Jack Reacher, portrayed by Alan Ritchson in the popular Amazon series, as he investigates the aftermath of a deadly incident late one night on a New York City subway.
Ritchson recently announced that season 4 would adaptGone Tomorrow, often considered one of the best books of the series, on social media.Reacherseason 4 will also feature an exciting new slate of cast membersthat includesJay Baruchel, Sydelle Noel, Agnez Mo, Anggun, Kevin Corrigan, Kevin Weisman, Marc Blucas, and Kathleen Robertson.Reacherseason 4 will also see the return of Maria Sten’s Frances Neagley ahead of the debut of Amazon’sNeagleyspin-off series, which is expected to be released in 2026. Although manyReacherfans are excited to seeGone Tomorrowcome to life, the book adaptation faces one unavoidable issue starting on page one.
The Opening Subway Scene In Gone Tomorrow Is Great Because Of Reacher’s Inner Monologue
Reacher Season 4 Won’t Feature Reacher’s Bullet Point List Unless They Use Voiceover For The First Time
Immediately upon hearing the news thatGone Tomorrowwould be the source material forReacherseason 4, I began to wonder what the opening scene would actually look like on camera. So much of Reacher’s inner monologue is left out of the series already due to the fact that the series does not use voiceover for his character. That said, this willrobReacherseason 4 viewers of Reacher’s bullet point list explaining how to detect a suicide bomberthat is featured at the start ofGone Tomorrow. This breakdown of all the various signs of a bomber instantly pulls readers in and is a huge part of why the opening scene is so gripping and iconic.
An excerpt fromGone Tomorrowchapter 1 reads, “Suicide bombers are easy to spot. They give out all kinds of telltale signs. Mostly because they’re nervous. By definition they’re all first timers.” Reacher discusses how he learned a specific list of traits to spot suicide bombers while he was in the military, which has never left him. “I kept my eyes moving and my mind running free down the bullet points. Twenty years later I still know the list.“Unless theReachershow is going to break its traditional format and use VO, this famous opening scene may not be as effective without hearing Reacher’s thought process.
How Reacher Season 4 Can Still Make Gone Tomorrow’s Opening Scene Work For TV
The Show Can Enhance The Tense Dialogue Between Reacher & The Bomber
I personally wouldn’t mind ifReacherseason 4 broke tradition and gave Reacher a voiceover point of view monologue for this scene. Without it, I don’t see how the opening scene, which is such a great part of the books, could produce the same impact in a visual format. Of course, tension and suspicion can be built purely through visual storytelling, but itwouldn’t be as fascinating or specific without Reacher’s point-by-point analysis. Perhaps Reacher could quietly be speaking to Neagley or someone else on the phone when he detects the apparent suicide bomber, since in the book, he initially spots her from afar.
Perhaps Reacher could quietly be speaking to Neagley or someone else on the phone when he detects the apparent suicide bomber, since in the book, he initially spots her from afar.
There’s also the issue of dialogue between Reacher and the apparent bomber on the subway, which will likely be altered anyway to better match Ritchson’s portrayal of the character.Reacher could explain some of this bullet-point checklist to the bomber, which would make for a gripping scene as he tries to de-escalate her from making a bad decision.
Of course, those who have readGone Tomorrowalready know what happens at the end of the scene, but for those who are coming in blind, they deserve to enjoy Reacher’s analytical expertise the same way thatGone Tomorrowreaders have. Ultimately, ifReacherseason 4 doesn’t capture that scene well, it will start off the entire season on a disappointing note.
