Amazon's Reacher Built An Entire Town To Bring The Show To Life
The first season of the Amazon series "Reacher" primarily takes place within the city limits of Margrave, Georgia. But if fans wonder why that particular southern town doesn't look all that familiar, it's because, shockingly enough, it technically isn't a real place.
Some series are fortunate enough to be able to shoot in the location featured in the script, but most shows don't have that luxury. When it came to finding the right place for production, it was ultimately decided to create the setting for "Reacher" with the help of showrunner Nick Santora and the writer behind the source material, Lee Childs, who also serves as executive producer. "We basically built an entire back lot that was the town of Margrave, Georgia," actress Willa Fitzgerald, who plays Roscoe Conklin on the show, said in an interview posted by kinowetter on YouTube. "It was streets and buildings and Nick was integral in picking out every detail of this town. So we got to have the exciting ability to make the town as seen by Lee and Nick as opposed to finding a found location and making that work."
Production Designer Patricio M. Farrell led the initiative that saw the transformation of 90 acres of undeveloped land in Canada into a 23-acre town with 30 stores and built-in swing set pieces. From the prison showers to the police station to the diner, it was all made by team "Reacher." While their efforts are nothing short of impressive, it is a shame, despite getting a season 2 order, some people might be surprised to learn they probably won't be revisiting Margrave the next time around.
Source material for Season 2 has Reacher taking his talents elsewhere
Anyone who has read the Jack Reacher books from Lee Childs knows the character moves around a lot and solves cases in several different locations throughout his notable literary run. So when it was revealed that the second season of "Reacher" would be jumping way ahead in the book series, it became clear that the well-crafted location cultivated from scratch for the initial set of entries was most likely not going to be the site of the show's next chapter.
The first season took from Child's first Reacher story, "Killing Floor," and instead of going to book 2, the powers that be are opting to take on the 11th title in the series, "Bad Luck and Trouble." That story follows Jack Reacher's efforts to discover the truth about a sinister plot involving the assassination of elite army investigators like himself. The story features a number of locations like Las Vegas, Chicago, Portland, and parts of California, but sadly Margrave, Georgia, is not one of them.
While it seems safe to assume that Margrave won't be the focal point of "Reacher" Season 2, it's possible the series could return to the town at some point in the future, mainly because the lot is still there. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the city of Pickering, Ontario, made a deal with the studio to maintain the show's backlot to be utilized by other productions, making it one of the largest of its kind available for use in the country.
While it might not look the same as it once did, it's nice to know Margrave is still out there should Reacher ever feel the need to return.