Reacher Season 3 has found its Paulie in Olivier Richters, aka "The Dutch Giant," who is sure to be a formidable foe for Alan Richardson's towering titular hero.
The third season of Reacher will adapt the 2003 novel Persuader, in which Paul "Paulie" Masserella is a key figure. In the book, Paulie is a "deranged bodybuilder bodyguard" for Zachary Beck (played by Anthony Michael Hall in the series), who doubles down on his defences after the attempted kidnapping of his son.
Here is how author Lee Child describes Paulie in his book:
"He was a very big guy. I stand six feet five inches tall, and I have to center myself quite carefully to walk through a standard thirty-inch doorway. This guy was at least six inches taller than me and probably ten inches wider across the shoulders. He probably outweighed me by two hundred pounds. Maybe by more."
According to CinemaBlend, the role has gone to Dutch bodybuilder and actor Olivier Richters, who stands at 218 centimetres (7 ft 2 in). The actor has played the role of the hulking henchman many times over the years, with previous appearances in Black Widow, The King's Man, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (pictured above).
Speaking about the casting choice, Hall compared Richters to the steel-toothed James Bond villain Jaws, famously played by the late actor Richard Kiel. He also prepared fans for an epic showdown between Jack Reacher and Paulie.
"He reminds me of, do you remember when we were kids? The Spy Who Loved Me, the Jaws character that Richard Kiel played? He was a literal giant, like seven foot two," Hall said. "That character (Paulie) does live in the show, and they have an epic battle. I don't want to give it away, but yeah, they definitely meet as they do in the book… You know, Reacher and Paulie colliding – there's something Marvel about that, right? They're like two superhero-sized guys, so it's kind of cool."
The second season of Reacher, based on the 2007 novel Bad Luck and Trouble, aired its final episode on January 19. IGN called it a "great" season overall, one that "gives its colossal leading man a new conspiracy to unravel, and a fresh supply of crooks to kick, club, and crush – and it remains a winning cocktail."
There is no word yet on when Reacher Season 3 will arrive on Prime Video, but with the cast coming together, more news should hopefully surface soon.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
