‘Jack Reacher’ Author Says Tom Cruise Lacked The “Physicality” & Will Recast The Character For Upcoming TV Series

When you think of Tom Cruise and action films, the first ones that come to mind are the big hitters of ‘Mission: Impossible’ (and its myriad of sequels) and “Top Gun” (also getting a sequel). But there’s another action franchise out there that Cruise has been part of that is apparently still kicking — “Jack Reacher.” And now, the author of the series of novels that inspired the ‘Jack Reacher’ film franchise discusses the future of the adaptations and why, despite being one of the biggest stars in the world, Cruise was never the right man to lead.

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“Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality,” author Lee Child said, recently, to BBC Radio. “I really enjoyed working with Cruise. He’s a really, really nice guy. We had a lot of fun.”

He added, “But ultimately the readers are right. The size of Reacher is really, really important and it’s a big component of who he is. The idea is that when Reacher walks into a room, you’re all a little nervous just for that first minute. And Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality.”

Despite the films receiving decent reviews and garnering fairly sizeable box office returns (however probably not as much as Paramount would have hoped for), the “Jack Reacher” series of novels describe a protagonist that is 6’5” tall and has hands “the size of dinner plates.” Unfortunately, even with Cruise’s larger than life persona, his 5’7” frame betrays him.

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So, Child says that when the ‘Jack Reacher’ franchise moves forward (and it will), the powers that be will have to search for a new lead. As for those future plans, the author says, “So what I’ve decided to do is – there won’t be any more movies with Tom Cruise. Instead we’re going to take it to Netflix or something like that. Long form streaming television, with a completely new actor.”

Child is keen on getting input from readers about the actor who would be best suited for the role, though he doesn’t detail how he plans on doing it. He explains, “And I want all those readers who were upset about Tom Cruise to help me out – participate in choosing the right actor for the TV series. We’re rebooting and starting over and we’re going to try and find the perfect guy.”

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Business Insider has followed up on those comments and has confirmed that Child is correct — the ‘Jack Reacher’ franchise is looking to move to the small screen. However, in spite of what the author says about Cruise’s involvement as an actor, the report says that Cruise, along with Paramount and Skydance Media are all still involved. That being said, the actor could just be used in a more behind-the-scenes role, as a producer on the series, as he was with the films as well.

We’ll have to see what the future holds for the ‘Jack Reacher’ series. As Amazon recently showed with “Jack Ryan,” adapting a series of action novels seems to be ripe for TV. Perhaps, with a new lead, “Jack Reacher” can become a household name.