‘War Machine’: Dennis Quaid, Jai Courtney, More Join Alan Ritchson led Netflix Action Thriller!!

While he’s still defying the odds in theaters as Reagan, Dennis Quaid is preparing to head to the battlefield with Alan Ritchson. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy nominee is one of several key additions to the Reacher star’s new Netflix sci-fi actioner War Machine, joining Stephan James, Esai Morales, and Jai Courtney. Also enlisted for the feature are Blake Richardson, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Daniel Webber. The cast is now set ahead of filming, which begins in Australia later this week.

The finer details of War Machine are being kept close to the vest, but the roles of each of the new cast members shine a light on how everything will play out. Set in the critical final 24 hours of the world’s toughest selection process, the film pits a team of Army Rangers against an unimaginable threat that will test their mettle in the field. Ritchson is set to play the leading Ranger candidate in the process, presumably gearing up for an all-important mission. James, Courtney, Richardson, Lonsdale, and Webber, meanwhile, are his fellow contenders who all find themselves overwhelmed and ultimately fall behind the man with plate-sized hands. At the top of the food chain, though, are Quaid and Morales, who star as the Ranger team’s commanding officers.

Netflix picked up War Machine from Lionsgate, where it was initially in development with The Hitman’s Bodyguard helmer Patrick Hughes at the wheel. Hughes remains attached and directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with frequent collaborator James Beaufort, who previously worked on the aforementioned action comedy and its sequel, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. He’ll also produce through his Huge Film banner alongside Todd Lieberman and Alex Young of Hidden Pictures, while Valerie Bleth Sharp and Rich Cook of Range Media Partners executive produce with Greg McLean of Huge Film.

What Other Projects Are the ‘War Machine’ Cast Members Working on?

While Ritchson has been remarkably busy between Playdate with Kevin James and Season 3 of Reacher, his co-stars have been similarly hard at work. In addition to playing the 40th President of the United States, Quaid also appeared in Coralie Fargeat‘s festival darling The Substance and is due for Sovereign later this year with Jacob Tremblay, Nick Offerman, Nancy Travis, and more. He’s not the only one on the festival circuit, as James is starring in the buzzy adaptation of The Piano Lesson with Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler, John David Washington, and Ray Fisher among others, which debuted at the Telluride Film Festival. Courtney, meanwhile, is gearing up for another tour with Netflix in the Taylor Kitsch-led series American Primeval while Morales looks to continue his role as Gabriel opposite Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 8 next year.