For Kevin Costner’s farmer Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, it was “If you build it, they will come.”
For Navy SEAL veteran-turned-bestselling author Jack Carr, it was “If you write it, he will star.”
Carr says he penned his Terminal List book series – about the exploits of Navy Seal James Reece, who uncovers some troubling conspiracies in the highest ranks of the American government – with Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World star Chris Pratt in mind.
Pratt signed on almost immediately not only to star but to executive producer the new Amazon series The Terminal List. Carr also scored his dream director, Training Day and Equalizer helmer Antoine Fuqua.
“I mean, this could not have been in better hands because really when you create something and hand it over to somebody else, in this case, this amazing team, it’s all about trust,” Carr told Yahoo Entertainment during a recent virtual press day for the series, where he was joined by Fuqua and showrunner David DiGilio (watch above).
Pratt was onboard in large part because of his respect for the armed forces.
“100 percent,” he says. “That was a huge determining factor in choosing to option this book and bring it to the screen. It was wildly authentic. I think that’s the main thing people rave about when they read The Terminal List is ‘Wow, it’s very refreshing to get what is very obviously an authentic point of view into the life of a Navy SEAL commander’ and that’s Jack Carr and his experience with combat deployments overseas… But yeah, that was the reason we did it, the authenticity and to honor these men and women.”
Same for his co-stars.
“You’re servicing something bigger than yourself and when you get a call like this to go and do this and be a part of that community,” says Taylor Kitsch.
“What those men and women go through and what they do for our country is so important and it matters to me to honor them,” explains Constance Wu.
But does Pratt think he’d have what it takes to be a Navy SEAL – famously the toughest, most highly trained, most elite arm of the U.S. military – in real life?
“First of all, anyone who ever answers that question ‘yes’ is a douchebag,” the star says candidly.
“Even if they kinda believe, maybe in the back of their head, maybe no, the answer has gotta be ‘No.’ You can’t possibly understand or comprehend what these men go through in just through hell week, let alone, the full BUD/S training. So I severely doubt it. I think most people don’t have the makeup to get it done. I’m blessed to be in a position as an actor and as a producer to be able to share this story onscreen. That’s my journey, but I do it because I have such an affinity for the men who can actually cut it,” Pratt says.
-Video produced by Jen Kucsak and edited by John Santo
The Terminal List is now streaming on Prime Video.
Watch the trailer:
