War Machine is officially reloading at Netflix, with the streamer moving forward on a sequel after the Alan Ritchson-led sci-fi action film cracked one of the platform’s biggest milestones.
The first film, co-written and directed by Australian filmmaker Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard, The Expendables 3), has entered Netflix’s Most Popular Films List after reaching 139 million views. That puts War Machine among the streamer’s 10 most-watched original films of all time.
War Machine Sequel Moving Ahead at Netflix
The Wrap broke the news that War Machine will be getting a follow-up, with Hughes returning to direct and co-write the sequel with James Beaufort. Hughes is also producing alongside Todd Lieberman, Rich Cook, Greg McLean and Alex Young, with Valerie Bleth Sharp executive producing.
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Ritchson, who starred in the first film as a battle-tested Army Ranger trainee thrown into a brutal fight against an otherworldly threat, is expected to return. He will also serve as a producer on the sequel.
War Machine centres on a group of Special Ops recruits whose punishing training exercise turns into a fight for survival when something deadly enters the picture. By the end of the film, it is clear that Hughes and co. were thinking bigger than one contained survival-action movie, with the story pointing towards a wider mythology involving the strange robotic marauders.
Alan Ritchson and Patrick Hughes Celebrate the Film’s Netflix Success
Ritchson took to social media to mark the film’s major Netflix milestone, writing: “What a monumental day. So many of you are a part of the War Machine world now. It’s incredible to build it with you in mind.”
The actor thanked Hughes, Lionsgate and Netflix for backing the film, adding: “Top 10 films of all time on Netflix is crazy. But this was just the appetizer. Wild times ahead. We’re just getting started.”
Hughes also celebrated the news online, posting: “The little Machine that could 🥹❤️🔥 We crossed the finish line into Netflix’s all-time Top 10! The sequel is officially a go! This little Machine didn’t get here alone. Thank you all. 🙏🏼”
Patrick Hughes Has Big Plans for the War Machine Universe
Hughes has already teased that the sequel will dig further into the unanswered questions left hanging by the first film, including what exactly is behind the robotic threat and where the story can go next.
Speaking to The Wrap about the first movie’s ending, Hughes said there had been “some internal back-and-forth and some creative conversations” with Netflix over how much ambiguity to leave in place. He explained that he wanted the film to capture the feeling of old-school genre movies that leave audiences asking what just happened and where the story goes from there.
“I think more than anything, people want to know – What is [Ritchson’s] name? Where are they from? What do they want? What is happening?” Hughes said. “Because that micro to the macro, I think, is really interesting.”
He also made it clear that the first 24 hours of an attack like the one seen in War Machine would not realistically come with neat answers. “This is like, just shock-and-awe,” he said, while also noting that he had written the film to work as a standalone story.
As for what is coming next, Hughes is keeping the finer details under wraps, but he has not been shy about the scale of his plans. “I’ve got an absolute banger. I’m excited. It’s fucking big,” he promised.
War Machine Becomes One of Netflix’s Biggest Original Films
With 139 million views, War Machine currently sits at No. 10 on Netflix’s all-time original films list, with a chance to move higher before the streamer’s 91-day measuring window closes.
That success makes the sequel news feel less like a surprise and more like Netflix responding to a film that clearly found its audience. For Ritchson, Hughes and the team behind War Machine, the first film may have only been the opening salvo. Now, it looks like the bigger war is on the way.
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