Alan Ritchsonwas recently announced as the lead in an upcoming movie calledCounting Miracles,and despite its drastic change in genre, the movie may be a great career move for the actor. Although Ritchson’s career began in 2006, the actor has seen a notable boost in fame due to his Amazon Prime Video series,Reacher.In this action thriller,Ritchson plays a former member of the U.S. Army military police who investigates crimesin small towns. However, Ritchson has never been a stranger to the action genre. In fact,Ritchson’s movies and showsare mostly action.

Ultimately, that is what makesCounting Miraclessuch an interesting turn.Counting Miraclesoriginated as a novel written by none other than romance extraordinaire, Nicholas Sparks.The story follows a former Ranger who returns to his hometownto find the father he never knew. Along with feeling a reclusive old man with an unclear past, the Ranger also forms a bond with a single mother of two. After being published in September 2024, the book is now being developed for the screen by Amazon MGM Studios withRitchson in the Sparks adaptation’s lead role.

Alan Ritchson wearing a suit and looking puzzled in Reacher season 2.

Ryan Gosling, Channing Tatum & Zac Efron All Benefited From Doing Nicholas Sparks Movies

How Romance Helped These Actors

Going from intense action to romance may seem like a strange decision for Ritchson, but other actors have proved thatNicholas Sparks moviescan be beneficial for an actor’s career. One prime example of this is Ryan Gosling. Though Gosling is an A-list actor nowadays, the start of his career was slow-going. This changed once he starred inThe Notebookalongside Rachel McAdams. After that movie,Gosling began earning more starring movie roles.The same boost in star power could certainly affect Ritchson, especially withReacherbeing so popular.

Counting Miracles

TBD

Channing Tatum and Zac Efron have similar stories. Tatum had already established a strong career before he starred inDear John, but the movie certainly didn’t hurt his career.Tatum’s romance movie roles, includingShe’s The ManandStep Up, are partially what made him popular. A similar scenario occurred for Efron, whose role inThe Lucky Oneallowed him to transition into more mature roles. It seemsthe Nicholas Sparks adaptations only assisted these actors in becoming more popularamong audiences, likely because they were being seen by entirely new viewers who hadn’t seen their other films.

Counting Miracles Can Diversify Ritchson’s Career

Based on the success of Gosling, Tatum, and Efron, the chances seem good thatRitchson will only benefit from starring inCounting Miracles.The movie will allow him to be seen by a different kind of audience than his usual action viewers, and if he does well, then he may earn an entirely new fan base. This could also be an interesting challenge for Ritchson, allowing him to tackle a very different character from his most famous roles.Counting Miraclescan show a softer, more vulnerable side of himself.

10 Movie Franchises We’d Love To See Reacher’s Alan Ritchson Join

Alan Ritchson is an incredibly talented actor who has made waves with his role as Jack Reacher, and we would love to see him join major franchises.

On top of that,Counting Miracleswill help diversify Ritchson’s resume. Though he has appeared in horror movies and comedies, his filmography is mostly action. Adding a romance movie will give him some more experience in other genres, and could start a trend of change for Ritchson. Having a resume full of many different genres is a natural step in the career of a major movie star, whichAlan Ritchsonis surely shaping up to be.

Alan Ritchson Custom Image

Headshot Of Alan Ritchson In The New York Premiere of Lionsgate’s ‘Ordinary Angels’