Jack Reacher might be one of the best-selling action protagonists of all time, with nearly 25 books in the franchise being published thus far. For some, their introduction into Jack’s world was the film adaptations, which saw Tom Cruise stepping into the titular role. The first film, 2012’s Jack Reacher, was generally well-received at the box office, but the same could not be said for 2016’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The poorly-received sequel drew criticism from diehard fans of the novels, and even from their author, Lee Child. In a recent interview with The Times, Child spoke about Cruse’s relationship to the Jack Reacher world and argued that the iconic actor is “too old” for the action-heavy role.
“Cruise was reluctant,” Child revealed. “He had his own investment in it, he was going to argue against it. It sounds extremely patronizing but I think it’s good for him. He’s too old for this stuff. He’s 57, he needs to move on, transition to being a character actor. He could get another 20 years out of it. He has the talent. He’s a terrific guy, very considerate, good fun.”
Cruise’s casting as Jack Reacher certainly polarized fans of the franchise, largely because he did not resemble the character’s physique as described in the books. In 2018, Child first revealed that a television adaptation was in the works, but that Cruise would not be returning into the role.
“I really enjoyed working with Cruise. He’s a really, really nice guy. We had a lot of fun,” Child explained in 2018. “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.”
“What I’ve decided to do is – there won’t be any more movies with Tom Cruise.” Child continued. “Instead we’re going to take it to Netflix or something like that. Long form streaming television, with a completely new actor. 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.”
Still, with Cruise having several other action franchises currently under his belt — including Mission: Impossible and Top Gun — some certainly might not agree with the idea that he’s “too old” for the action genre overall.
What do you think? Let us know and don’t forget to subscribe to The Nerds Take 2 YouTube channel!