“Jack Reacher” is moving from the big screen to the small screen for the character’s next adventure, according to Lee Child, whose eponymous books were turned into a pair of big screen films starring Tom Cruise.
But the TV version will swap out Cruise for a different actor, says Child, who told BBC Radio on Wednesday: “Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality.” In his books, Child frequently describes Jack Reacher as being 6 feet 5 inches tall, with hands “the size of dinner plates” — they have also been described as the size of “a supermarket chicken,” or “Thanksgiving turkeys.” Cruise is listed at 5 feet, 7 inches.
The two movies — “Jack Reacher” and “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” — were produced by Skydance and Cruise/Wagner and distributed by Paramount. Both Skydance and Paramount TV declined to comment, but an individual with knowledge confirms that a TV version of Jack Reacher is in the early stages of development.
“We’re going to take it to Netflix or something like that. Long form streaming television, with a completely new actor,” Child continued. “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.”
The first film, which was released in 2012 and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, went on to earn $218 million at the global box office (and $80 million domestically). The 2016 sequel, which saw Edward Zwick take over as director, grossed only $162 million globally, and just under $59 million in the U.S.