Netflix
Movie fans are calling for Reacher star Alan Ritchson to be cast in a comedy after a gleeful video of him gloating about his Netflix film War Machine went viral. Ritchson has also been in the headlines this week for punching Tennessee man Ronnie Taylor in self-defense.
Alan Ritchson’s new Netflix action film War Machine was released on March 6, 2026, and follows a group of Army Ranger recruits during a high-intensity training exercise that escalates when they encounter a deadly, advanced threat.
When it dropped, some critics took issue with Ritchson — who is 43 — playing a RASP soldier, arguing he was too old for the role. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare star remained silent on the critique until the U.S. Army handed him the perfect rebuttal earlier this week.
The United States Army recently raised its maximum enlistment age from 35 to 42, set to take effect April 20. Ritchson posted an Instagram video clocking in at 1.7 million views in which he calmly acknowledged the critics before delivering the punchline:
“So a lot of people were saying that I was too old to play a soldier in War Machine,” Ritchson begins the video.
“Well, guess what? Guess what, U.S.? Just raised the enlistment age to… what? 42. So… I was prophetic!
Movie fans want to see Alan Ritchson cast in a comedy again after a video of gleefully gloating on Instagram went viral
Ritchson’s energy in the video left fans of his work calling for him to be cast in a comedy again.
he’s still got that thad castle in him… PLZ PUT HIM IN COMEDIES AGAIN 🙏 https://t.co/kEh9SsL2cD
— Keizi Cinema 🎞️🍿 (@KeiziTV) March 26, 2026
This video is utter delightful chaos and Hollywood is gonna do absolutely nothing with it or him. We’re so boring. https://t.co/q2bmxC1zif
— Brandon Lewis (@blewis1103) March 27, 2026
Ritchson famously does have a history in comedy he starred as fratty football player Thad Castle in the Spike TV sitcom Blue Mountain State from 2010 to 2012, a role he reprised in a 2016 film sequel.
Somehow Thad Castle returned https://t.co/y0ofZZdbFx
— Viggie Smalls (@Viggie_Smalls93) March 27, 2026
Greenlight Pain & Gain 2 ASAP https://t.co/9k7YA8hGHU
— Kenjac (@JackKennedy) March 27, 2026
Earlier this week, a video showing a confrontation between him and his Tennessee neighbor Ronnie Taylor, who had complained about the actor making noise on his motorbike, went viral.
In the video, Taylor jumps out into the street in front of Ritchson’s bike, forcing him to abruptly break and flip over his handlebars. Ritchson then stood up and socked Taylor in the face.