1 of 5 | Taylor Kitsch (L) and Chris Pratt star in “Terminal List: Dark Wolf,” premiering Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Prime Video
Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy icon Chris Pratt says his Navy SEAL character James Reece from Terminal List is in a completely different head-space in the prequel series, Dark Wolf.
Premiering Wednesday on Prime Video, the action-thriller was co-created by author Jack Carr and David DiGilio. It co-stars Taylor Kitsch, Tom Hopper, Luke Hemsworth and Dar Salim.
“This is the lightest version of Reece you’ll probably see, because it’s seven years before, of course, he loses his entire team, before he loses his family,” Pratt, 46, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
“Reece is still a commander in the SEALs. He is a Mustang lieutenant who’s on the edge of life and death every single day, so the stakes are high.”
Because Reece and his platoon are in constant danger during their time in 2015 Iraq, the men have to trust each other implicitly.
“You will see a level of very authentic camaraderie that happens between these guys,” Pratt said.
“They’re giving each other [expletive] and they’re having fun and there is a special bond of love and a real brotherhood that even when I watch it, I’m kind of jealous of it. I’m like, ‘Man, that’s so cool.’ These guys are like the coolest fraternity in the world.”
American Primeval, True Detective and Friday Night Lights alum Kitsch, 44, said the relationship between his character Ben Edwards and Reece is particularly strong in Dark Wolf.
“They’re at their best,” Kitsch said. “They’re the tightest they’ve probably ever been.”
The actors said it was surprisingly not difficult to go back to this period in their characters’ lives, even though they knew where they would eventually end up by the shocking Terminal List Season 1 finale.
“That’s the prep I’d already done to get ready for Season 1. So, obviously, we’re adding some curve balls and little things to Ben as we start writing [Dark Wolf] as it is seven years earlier, but my job is to prep and have a back story and who he is and, so, I loved it that we can actually play it out instead of just in my notes,” Kitsch said.
“To go back to work with [Pratt] and our Terminal List team of SEALs and to shoot in Europe and introduce these new characters that are in Jack Carr’s books, it just felt like a kind of seamless transition.”
Pratt added: “I honestly thought the closer we could make these characters and the more fun that we could have in the moments it was appropriate to have fun, the more tragic the ending of Season 1 one would be.
“So, I really wanted to push hard into loving one another, caring for one another and having fun with another, in that regard, because I thought being able to hinge one off of the other was really going to be effective storytelling,” Pratt said.
The actors emphasized how important it was to have real military veterans involved in the production to ensure its accuracy.
“Both of us have been very open about our appreciation for our veterans and have been super-supportive of the veteran community since he did Lone Survivor and I did Zero Dark Thirty,” Pratt said. “It’s a big part of our lives.”
There are benefits for the veterans who work on the show, too, according to the actor.
“For me, the most amazing part was seeing the catharsis from these men who are so specially trained to do what they do, who can’t really execute their training without putting themselves in dire situations,” Pratt said.
“There’s very few outlets for guys like that, where they can take their training and serve a greater good and and the greater good for this is a vision for the story and, so, to see them be at their peak and show what they’re capable of, but in a situation where they’re life’s not in danger, is really special and it’s given them a new life and a new purpose and to be part of that is truly the single most meaningful aspect of this entire ride.”
Kitsch agreed.
“It is beautiful to be a part of and to serve them as much as they’ve served us and given us this platform to be able to do this. To work with them and collaborate with them and serve their vision now has been an amazing thing,” he said.
“They become family and brothers,” he added. “Off set, we’re super close and it’s not just about shooting. We really do go and hang out and hike and do this kind of stuff together, so, it’s been an incredible process.”
The wait is over. Stream episodes 1, 2 & 3 now on Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/lzZfl6hEdu— The Terminal List (@TerminalListPV) August 27, 2025
