With a reported 139 million views, the sci-fi action flick War Machine (review here) is one of the most successful Netflix originals ever. It speaks to the popularity of its star, Alan Ritchson, something I can personally attest to as my TikToks featuring him have over 200K views. Wild. With those kinds of numbers, it’s no shock that Netflix is eager to get moving on a sequel, and now it’s officially underway.
The Wrap has the news on War Machine 2, which will see the return of director Patrick Hughes. Netflix confirmed the info itself on social media, and of course, Ritchson is expected back as the unnamed soldier known only as “81”. The film has entered Netflix’s top 10 most popular of all-time.
“Keep the good times rolling. I’m pinching myself every day. If you’d gone back to me and told me that when I was at film school, I’d be sitting in this opportunity where it’s like this universe you’ve set up and it’s off to the races, and had a mass appeal, and people are begging for a sequel,” Hughes told the outlet. “This is very, very exciting. I can’t go into any details, but I know when I wrote it was just, they had it all mapped out – what I would do, touch wood, if they did give me the opportunity. It’s expanding that world but at the same time it’s not doing what’s expected.”
“I’ve got an absolute banger. I’m excited. It’s fucking big,” Hughes said excitedly.
War Machine stars Ritchson as a U.S. Army Ranger with PTSD whose unit is attacked by an alien robot bent on destruction. The film leaves plenty of unanswered questions, such as 81’s true name, and whether the robot was an extraterrestrial or if it was being piloted by another. Also, what is the invaders’ true purpose for coming to Earth?
