SUMMARY

Reacher season 3 has cast Olivier Richters as Paulie.
Paulie, a character from Persuader, is a bodybuilder who’s even bigger than Jack Reacher.
Richters is a Dutch bodybuilder who is seven feet and two inches tall.

Reacher Season 3 Casts Paulie, A Major Book Character Even Bigger Than Alan Ritchson

Reacher has cast a major new character who is even bigger than the title character. Six-foot-three inch tall actor Alan Ritchson plays Jack Reacher in the Prime Video show, which is based on the Lee Child book series and follows Jack, an ex-military police major who wanders the U.S. and helps various people he encounters. Reacher season 3 is set to adapt the 2003 novel Persuader, which sees the character undercover in the circle of the rich and paranoid Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall) around the time of the attempted kidnapping of his son.

Per CinemaBlend, Reacher season 3 has cast Olivier Richters as the character Paulie. On the page, Paulie is a bodybuilder who serves as one of Beck’s bodyguards. Richters is a bodybuilder in real life in addition to being an actor and is known as “The Dutch Giant” because of his immense height, which reaches a total of seven feet and two inches, cutting an impressive figure even to someone like Ritchson’s famously towering Jack Reacher.

Everywhere You’ve Seen Olivier Richters Before Reacher Season 3

Jack Reacher’s New Rival Has Already Appeared In Some Major Titles

Olivier Richters as Warehouse Guy Holding Up His Arms and Roaring in Ravers Olivier Richters as Hauke Running Through a Crowded Parade Route in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Olivier Richters as Ursa Arm Wrestling with David Harbour as Red Guardian in Black Widow Olivier Richters Staring Down an Opponent in Knuckledust Olivier Richters as a Guard Manning His Post Behind Daniel Bruhl in The King's Man

Before joining the Reacher cast, Richters has already put his impressive height and muscle mass to use onscreen. Following a few roles in European projects early in his career, in the English language he has largely held minor roles as secondary or tertiary antagonists in genre movies that use his bulk as a major obstacle to the protagonists. This includes playing a berserk warehouse employee in the 2018 horror movie Ravers and one of the fighters in the 2020 actioner Knuckledust.

However, before bringing this character from the Jack Reacher books to life, he has already appeared in several other prominent titles. This includes starring in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Black Widow as Ursa Major, a character who is briefly seen arm wrestling with David Harbour’s character Red Guardian in the Seventh Circle Prison. He also played Huge Machine Shack Guard in Matthew Vaughn’s 2021 action prequel The King’s Man and Jürgen Voller’s henchman Hauke in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

In the comics, Ursa Major is a mutant with the ability to transform into a bear who has been a part of the Russian team known as the Soviet Super-Soldiers, which has at certain points also included Red Guardian.

Reacher bringing on Richters could very well offer the star his most prominent role yet. It remains to be seen how much of the upcoming season will feature Paulie, though he is a major book character and will thus likely appear in several episodes at the very least. However, even if his onscreen role is reduced from its position on the page, the fact that the performer is able to give the imposing Ritchson a run for his money should help him create a memorable character.

Paulie’s Size Compared To Reacher Will Prove To Be Very Important

Jack Reacher Has His Work Cut Out For Him

Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in a Diner in Reacher Season 2 Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher gazing into the distance in Reacher season 2 Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin hiding behind a car with Alan Ritchson's Jack Reacher. Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher questioning a hitman in Reacher Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher pinning a man to the ground in Reacher

On the page, on the screen, and in real life, the difference in height between the duo will likely prove to be a major cornerstone of the new season. After the explosive Reacher season 2 ending, the show will have to find a new way to up the ante as it heads into its next largely standalone story.

As the narrative of the novel Persuader is a somewhat more low-stakes affair, it seems likely that the character-driven conflict that comes from Jack meeting his match in a character who he is unable to physically dominate could come front and center.

Paulie’s size will also form more of an issue in the story than merely intimidating Jack Reacher while he attempts to work on the same team with him. He has a dark side that could very well prove key to Jack’s mission, a problem that Jack will have to solve using his mental prowess rather than his physical strength.

This issue will be visually highlighted by the fact that Paulie significantly towers over not only Jack, but every other character around him. Below, see a breakdown of the reported heights of the confirmed cast members of Reacher season 3:

The fact that Anthony Michael Hall is just two inches shorter than Ritchson could also be another indication of the power dynamics that will come into play this season. Beck, after all, draws power from his wealth rather than his physical stature. However, every other character, including Hall, is nevertheless shorter than the lead of Reacher and thus a foot or more shorter than Richters. His presence should provide a jolt of energy to the returning show that could very well help it continue to draw audience attention and potentially get renewed for yet another season.