Reacher showrunner Nick Santora addresses Lee Child’s secret cameo and if the author will be popping back up in the series.

While Lee Child didn’t have a secret cameo in Season 2 like he did in the first season of Reacher, the door is open for the author to become the “Stan Lee” of the hit Prime Video series.

In the Season 1 finale, original Jack Reacher novelist Lee Child had a brief cameo which saw him interacting with Alan Ritchson’s titular character. This has had some viewers wondering if Child was also hidden somewhere in Season 2.

Speaking about Child’s cameo in a THR interview, showrunner Nick Santora was asked if the author was also in Season 2, pulling off another cameo similar to what Marvel used to do with Stan Lee.

While Child wasn’t in Season 2, Santora gushed over the Season 1 cameo. He then clarified that future cameos are up to Child and his availability, noting that the writer is welcome to appear in the show anytime he’s in the area during filming.

“Lee Child had a wonderful cameo in season one in the final episode, where he bumps into Reacher in the Margrave diner and says, ‘Excuse me,’ which is really cool, because it’s kind of like Dr. Frankenstein meeting the Frankenstein monster,” Santora said.

“Although, I’m not comparing Alan Ritchson to the Frankenstein monster — he’s way cooler and too good looking for that. But, in following seasons, it really all depends on Mr. Child’s availability.

He’s a busy guy. But if he’s ever around in Toronto and he wants to pop into an episode, I’m sure we can figure something out, because none of us would have our jobs if it wasn’t for him.”

Child notably had cameo appearances in both of the Tom Cruise movies as well. In the original film, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and released in 2012, Child played a police desk sergeant. In the 2016 sequel, Jack Reacher; Never Go Back, Child played an airport ticket agent.

Season 3 Will Be Based on Persuader

There are nearly 30 books in the Jack Reacher series, and Lee Child is still not finished with writing them. For each season of the TV show, one particular book is used as reference for the story.

Season 1 kept it simple by taking inspiration from the first book, Killing Floor. The second season jumped ahead by using the eleventh book in the series, Bad Luck and Trouble, for its basis. It was just recently revealed that Season 3 is based on Persuader, the seventh book in the series, which will see Alan Ritchson going undercover as Jack Reacher.

The first two seasons of Reacher are streaming on Prime Video. Season 3 does not yet have a premiere date.