While we’re still not quite convinced that Tom Cruise is the right man to be playing hulking Jack Reacher, at least when it comes to the female lead in “One Shot,” they got it right.
Beating out Hayley Atwell and Alexa Davalos who emerged as contenders over the weekend, Rosamund Pike has landed the role of Helen Rodin in the adaptation of the book by Lee Childs. Set to be directed and written by Christopher McQuarrie, the story finds ex-military man and drifter Jack Reacher drawn into the case of a military sniper accused of five murders and discovers a twisty cover-up along the way. Helen Rodin is the attorney who defends the accused man; her father Alex Rodin is the District Attorney in town (and another key role to be cast). We’ve read the book and Pike is perfect for the role and just a solid actress all around. She’s been rising for a while now, turning in a beautiful performance in “Barney’s Version” last year and also making the most of smaller roles in both “An Education” and “Made In Dagenham,” but this is poised to be her biggest project yet, and definitely a change of pace.
Even though the film won’t hit theaters until February 8, 2013, production will kick off next month with Cruise then spending a good portion of 2012 shooting Joseph Kosinki‘s “Oblivion.” The source material is pulpy fun and is tailor made for a big screen thriller, but Christopher McQuarrie hasn’t been behind the camera in over a decade and will be making his sophomore effort following 2000’s uneven “The Way Of The Gun.” The always picky Cruise must believe he’s got a strong idea of how to power this flick, so while we remain optimistic, the biggest question so far is Cruise himself and how he will take on a character that in the book stands 6’5” and weights 250 lbs. His intimidating physicality is a big part of the role, so we hope both Cruise and McQuarrie have found a way to keep that domineering element in place. [Deadline]