Summary

• David Harbour, Dane DiLiegro, and Olivier Richters are strong contenders to play the intimidating villain Paulie in Reacher season 3.
• Their massive stature, acting skills, and previous roles suggest they can bring the imposing character to life on screen convincingly.
• With their experience of portraying intimidating characters, these actors have the potential to deliver an electrifying clash of titans in the Amazon series.

Since it has been confirmed that Reacher season 3 is adapting Lee Child's Persuader, it is hard not to be curious about who will play the book's gigantic villain, Paulie, in the Amazon series. Serving as the seventh installment in Lee Child's Jack Reacher book series, Persuader presents itself as a revenge story in which the titular character sets out to avenge the death of one of his colleagues. Unlike Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble, which was adapted by Reacher season 2, the seventh book does not focus on a high-stakes drama where Reacher gets embroiled in an international conspiracy.

However, Persuader features one of the most compelling and intimidating villains in the Jack Reacher series, Paulie. Paulie, who is one of the two main antagonists in Persuader, is close to 7 feet tall in the original Lee Child novel. Even when it comes to strength and physical ability, Paulie is even more muscle-bound and intimidating than Reacher, making him a worthy opponent to the otherwise invincible character. Paulie's massive stature makes it difficult to find the right actor to accurately portray him on screen, but a few stars may perfectly fit the bill.

10 David Harbour

Height: 6ft 3 inches (1.90 m)

Best known for portraying Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, David Harbour stands at a towering 6 feet 3 inches. Although he is not close to 7 feet tall like Paulie in Lee Child's Persuader, the actor is almost as big as Alan Ritchson. Harbour has also previously portrayed badass, intimidating characters in movies like Hellboy and Violent Night and has had convincing on-screen showdowns with other brawny characters like Chris Hemsworth's Tyler in Extraction. His acting chops, ability to bring realism to action scenes, and massive stature make him a great casting choice for Paulie.

Since both David Harbour and Alan Ritchson are household names, their Reacher season 3 showdown would be poised to be an electrifying clash of titans if Habour takes the role.

Even off-screen, Harbour has an imposing, larger-than-life presence. If he plays Paulie with the same charisma and confidence, it would be hard not to convincingly perceive him as the villain described in the original book. Since both David Harbour and Alan Ritchson are household names, their Reacher season 3 showdown would be poised to be an electrifying clash of titans if Habour takes the role.

9 Dane DiLiegro

Height: 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m)

Former basketball player Dane DiLiegro has appeared in several renowned films and shows, like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and American Horror Stories. However, he is most recognizable for his portrayal of the terrifying Predator in 2022's Prey. The actor is close to 6 feet 8 inches tall, making him significantly bigger than Alan Ritchson and nearly as massive as Paulie in Lee Child's Persuader. Although DiLiegro does not have many acting credits under his belt, he has established his ability to portray antagonistic characters in movies like Prey and Imaginary and shows like Sweet Home.

8 Olivier Richters

Height: 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m)