Spoiler Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for the War Machine ending. If you have yet to watch the new Netflix movie, please proceed with caution.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve watched War Machine with your Netflix subscription, and are coming here to find out what’s next for Alan Ritchson’s silent warrior. While Netflix has yet to announce War Machine 2 (or whatever it ends up being called), the new 2026 movie has been incredibly popular with users since making its streaming debut. That said, it should only be a matter of time before we see Staff Sergeant 81 take on even more high-tech aliens.
So, what’s been said about what could end up being the next great action franchise for the streamer? Come with me if you want to see what both Alan Ritchson and the film’s director, Patrick Hughes, have said about the possibility of even more sci-fi action! But before, I have to break down the War Machine ending and how it perfectly sets up a sequel.
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The War Machine Ending Perfectly Sets Up A Sequel
The War Machine ending does leave us with unanswered questions about the titular alien robots and their origins, but the new action flick does do a great job of laying the groundwork for a sequel somewhere down the road. The movie ends with Alan Ritchson’s Staff Sergeant 81, who learned that you could defeat the robots by blocking their ventilation system to overheat, being accepted into the 75th Ranger Regiment of the United States Army, and being asked to join in on the counteroffensive.
Though things do wrap up with a Christopher Nolan-like ending in the sense that one story ends as another begins, the final scene in War Machine perfectly sets up a sequel (or sequels) in that it teases even more action to come in the future. With tens of thousands of those war machines set to invade Earth, 81 and the rest of the survivors have their work cut out for them. So, will it happen?
Patrick Hughes Initially Saw War Machine As A Standalone Story, But He’s Ready To Pull The Trigger
With a concept like the one on display in War Machine, no one would hold anything against you if you were under the impression that this was something always meant to be a franchise. However, director Patrick Hughes, who previously helmed action flicks like The Expendables 3 and The Hitman’s Bodyguard, revealed in a recent interview that this was originally a standalone story.
When speaking with ScreenRant ahead of the film’s Netflix debut, Hughes was quick to dismiss the notion that this was always going to be a franchise, but he did say that he has since sketched it out and knows exactly where it’s going:
No, no. When I sat down and wrote War Machine, I was like, this is a fully formed standalone story, and heaven forbid—touch wood—if I ever got the opportunity to take it further, I know exactly where it’s going, and I’ve sketched it out. … It’s impossible not to, as a writer, to think about. I fell in love with the character of 81, and the universe of sort of everything he’s going through. So look, if that call comes in, then yes, I’m ready to pull the trigger.
With War Machine being incredibly popular with Netflix users (it’s sitting atop the Netflix Top 10 at the time of this writing), I wouldn’t be surprised if the streamer gives Hughes and company the green light sooner or later. Considering his “ready to pull the trigger” comments, Hughes could hit the ground running as soon as that call comes in!
The Director Has Also Said There’s A Broader Story
Though Patrick Hughes, who was at one point eyed to remake The Raid, didn’t open up about a possible story direction for War Machine 2, his comments in the ScreenRant interview make it seem like he has a lot of the next movie planned out already. Around the same time as that chat, the director caught up with Decider and discussed what went into making 81’s story come to life while hinting at what could come for Alan Ritchson’s deadly character if given the opportunity:
I don’t know, if that opportunity came up, then yeah. Look, I know exactly where I want to take it, and what that broader story is. We absolutely love the character of 81. For me, I wanted to tell a film that started with the micro, and ended with the macro. And I thought that was a really unique take on the genre that we were working in. Let’s see what happens.
The idea of starting with the micro and ending with the macro worked out really well for War Machine, considering the audience knew about as much as 81 throughout the movie. Now that both Ritchson’s character has a better grasp of what’s happening on a global level, the possibilities are limitless. Now we just need Hughes to open up some more about the “broader story.” And if the ending moments where humanity’s preparing for war are a part of this, things are about to kick off!
Alan Ritchson Has Hinted At ‘Tons’ Of Ideas For A Movie He Thinks Will Be ‘Sick’
Patrick Hughes isn’t the only person opening up about the idea of War Machine 2 in the future, as the first film’s main attraction is also trying to drum up support for a full-on franchise centered around Staff Sergeant 81. When speaking with ScreenRant alongside the director, the Jack Reacher star took a less-than-subtle way of addressing the question when asked about plans for a sequel. I’ll let the man speak for himself:
Tons. Let me say it for him, tons. War Machines is going to be sick. The whole thing, we got a whole thing.
In case you missed it, the War Machines title Ritchson joked about was an homage to James Cameron’s 1986 sci-fi classic, Aliens, a movie that supercharged the genre and inspired countless action flicks in the 40 years that have followed. Oh, how much I would give to see Ritchson stroll into Netflix’s headquarters and write a dollar sign at the end of War Machine like that remarkable (and remarkably true) Cameron story. I would pay to see that!
Only time will tell what’ll happen with the War Machine franchise. That said, with the movie being a big title for Netflix and Alan Ritchson being one of the biggest stars in Hollywood right now, I think it’s a matter of when instead of if.