Sony’s Helldivers movie has found a potential new recruit.

Alan Ritchson, best known to many viewers as Jack Reacher in Prime Video’s Reacher, is in talks to join the film adaptation of Arrowhead Game Studios’ enormously successful science-fiction shooter franchise.

The important phrase is in talks.

Ritchson has not, as of 25 September 2026, been formally announced by Sony as the movie’s new lead.

What happened to Jason Momoa?

Jason Momoa was announced as the star of Helldivers earlier in 2026, with Sony setting a 10 November 2027 theatrical release. Fast & Furious filmmaker Justin Lin is directing.

By June, however, Momoa had exited the project. Sony continued moving forward with the movie and its casting process, while Lin remained attached.

More recent industry reporting has attributed Momoa’s departure to creative differences, although neither Sony nor Momoa publicly detailed those differences. Sony has also declined to comment on the current Ritchson negotiations.

Anything more specific about why Momoa left would therefore move beyond what has actually been confirmed.

What is the Helldivers movie adapting?

The original Helldivers launched in 2015, but the franchise exploded in popularity with Helldivers 2 in 2024.

The games cast players as expendable soldiers fighting for Super Earth against overwhelming alien forces, wrapping co-operative action in layers of militaristic satire, propaganda and deliberately absurd patriotism.

That tone may be the film’s biggest challenge.

Anyone can make a movie about heavily armed soldiers shooting monsters. Helldivers becomes Helldivers because of the way it presents its supposedly heroic war machine.

Gary Dauberman wrote an earlier screenplay for the adaptation, while Hutch Parker, PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Lin are producing.

Why Ritchson is attracting attention

Ritchson has become strongly associated with physically demanding action through Reacher, with additional films including Fast X and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

That background makes the reported negotiations understandable.

It does not, however, tell us what sort of character he would play or even whether a final agreement will be reached.

So the accurate headline right now is not “Alan Ritchson is the new Helldiver”.

It is that Sony has identified a very recognisable candidate for the job.

For Super Earth, apparently the recruitment drive continues.