The breakout movies and TV shows of 2026 are putting certain actors in the spotlight. Tom Holland became summer's biggest star thanks to the one-two punch of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey. Inde Navarrette's breakout role in Obsession led to her snagging the role of Rogue in Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men reboot. It's Alan Ritchson, though, who's had the biggest surprise. While Ritchson's best known for playing the title role in Reacher, he also starred in a gritty sci-fi/action thriller that quickly became one of Netflix's biggest movies.
That movie is War Machine, which is directed and co-written by Patrick Hughes (The Hitman's Bodyguard.) War Machine centers on a unnamed soldier (Ritchson) who is currently training to join the Army Rangers. The soldier, given the designation "81", is about to complete the test known as the "Death March" where he and other soldiers destroy a prototype aircraft. It turns out that the aircraft they're meant to destroy is a highly advanced alien machine that starts picking off soldiers left and right. What follows is a blood-soaked, adrenaline-fueled story that's been described as "The Terminator meets The Hurt Locker," and it wouldn't work without Alan Ritchson.
War Machine takes its time building up to the reveal that its protagonist is fighting an alien machine, which makes the carnage hit that much harder once it begins. The real meat of the movie's story lies in exploring 81's emotional state. At the opening of the movie, he loses his brother (Jai Courtney) during a firefight; the lingering guilt and grief lead him to take greater risks and have his superiors questioning him. It isn't until the machine attacks that 81 is forced to rely on his fellow soldiers, even taking the leadership position he kept denying.
Ritchson helps give War Machine an emotional core through his performance. Over time, he showcases a slowly defrosting exterior, going from a tortured soldier to a bona fide leader. It doesn't hurt that he has a great supporting cast to bounce off, whether it's Stephan James as fellow Ranger trainee 7 or Dennis Quaid and Esai Morales as his superior officers. Unlike Reacher, which has settled into a predictable but reliable formula, or Motor City, which prioritized its no-dialogue gimmick over an actual story, War Machine develops its characters while still delivering the action you'd expect from Army men taking on alien machinery.
While War Machine drew mixed reviews, it was a hit for Netflix and still holds a spot on the streamer's Top 10 list of most popular movies. That puts it among other Netflix breakouts, like KPop Demon Hunters and Ryan Reynolds' time travel epic The Adam Project. Ironically, War Machine wasn't developed as a Netflix movie. Patrick Hughes originally meant to release the movie theatrically until Netflix partnered with Lionsgate. Hughes also told Decider that War Machine was part of a larger story he wanted to tell if given the chance.
“I know exactly where I want to take it, and what that broader story is...We absolutely love the character of 81. For me, I wanted to tell a film that started with the micro, and ended with the macro. And I thought that was a really unique take on the genre that we were working in. Let’s see what happens.”
Hughes is about to get his chance as Netflix greenlit a sequel to War Machine, appropriately titled War Machines. Details are scarce, but the sequel is more than likely following up on the end of War Machine where it's revealed that more alien machines have touched down on Earth — and 81 is the sole man who knows their weakness. Alan Ritchson is also continuing his working relationship with Netflix, as he's set to star in the upcoming action thriller Malestrom. The smash success of War Machine proves Ritchson has a future outside of Reacher, and that sci-fi remains Netflix's most successful genre for original projects.
