Jack Carr Envisioned Chris Pratt as Star of The Terminal List from First Line in 2014

Novelist and screenwriter Jack Carr said he envisioned Chris Pratt leading the on-screen adaptation of his thriller The Terminal List as soon as he started writing the bestseller more than a decade ago.

Carr detailed the decision on Tuesday's episode of the Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast. "I write my first line, and, of course, as a child of the '80s, I think, 'Who's going to star in this masterpiece?'... and I think, 'Chris Pratt, he needs to do that for his career. He's on Parks and Rec. He's always kind of an overweight jokester guy on Parks and Rec,'" Carr said.

Pratt had just played a Navy SEAL in the 2012 film Zero Dark Thirty, which helped Carr picture him in the role. "He slims down [for the role], he is in shape. I'm like, 'This guy... for his career, he needs to play a character like this. Chris Pratt will star.'"

That vision came in December 2014, Carr said. He still had about a year and a half left in the military and was just starting to write what became The Terminal List.

Published in 2018, the novel follows Navy SEAL Commander James Reece as he probes a deadly ambush that killed his entire team and uncovers a wide-ranging conspiracy.

The book hit bestseller lists and spawned a 2022 Prime Video series with Pratt as Reece. Season two premieres Oct. 21.

Hannity's full interview with Carr, covering his military service, writing process and the series' success, is available on the Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast.