Actors Who Could Play Jack Reacher
Joel Kinnaman from The Killing and Altered Carbon. Handsome and menacing, Joel Kinnaman. I have read about 12 jack reachers and I think Tom cruise is great as reacher. When I read the books for some reason I think reacher looks like Thomas Hayden Church (but he is too short) Some tall actors who could play reacher are: Liam Neeson 6’4. Dolph lundgren 6’5 or Alexander Skarsgard 6’4 (Tarzan). The commonly asked question was how could the 5'7' Tom Cruise possibly play a character who was a rugged 6'6' and 250lbs. The answers from the studio were generally that Tom Cruise was an amazing actor who could pull off any role. The result was a couple of underwhelming films with readers unwilling to accept Tom Cruise as Reacher.
The new thriller Jack Reacher finds star Tom Cruise in comfortable territory as an extremely capable action hero trying to solve the mystery behind a series of sniper attacks. (Watch a trailer for Jack Reacher below.) But fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book series — 13 installments published between 1997 and 2012, with more to come — have been up in arms about the casting of Cruise as the film’s titular hero, and they may have a point; the 5-foot-7 brunette actor with the toothy grin doesn't exactly resemble the 6-foot-5 blonde described by Lee Child in his novels. Is Cruise miscast?
Yes, Cruise is all wrong for Jack Reacher: Fans of Child’s bestselling series are absolutely right, says Jam! Showbiz: “Hiring a Hobbit-sized Hollywood actor to play giant Jack was a serious error.” Cruise simply lacks the physicality the character and story require. Just as problematic: The actor's inability to convey some of Reacher’s other defining characteristics; Cruise's “attempts at quick-quip comedy” with leading lady Rosamund Pike fall flat. Cruise is a fine actor, but in Jack Reacher he’s supposed to be “gritty and tough in a more ‘realistic’ world,” and he’s simply out of his depth.
“Jack Reacher comes up short”
But it’s hard to imagine anyone who could play the role:Jack Reacher’s writer and producer brainstormed every major name in Hollywood, but no one seemed to fit the bill, reports the Los Angeles Times. “Realizing Hollywood is basically bereft of blond-haired, blue-eyed, 6-foot-5 actors who carry enough star power to ‘open’ a movie,” screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie and producer Don Granger decided to make the character’s height their lowest priority. Instead, “they created a graph of the industry’s leading men, grading them on the character’s other core attributes: charm, eloquence, physicality, and gravitas.” When they settled on Cruise, Lee Child gave the actor his blessing as well, saying 'Why wouldn't I want the biggest star in the world to play my character?' Tom Cruise may not look like Jack Reacher, but he may have been the best choice anyway.
“Is Tom Cruise big enough to carry Jack Reacher?”
And Tom Cruise and Jack Reacher have more in common than you might think: Yes, Cruise isn’t huge or blond, but he manages to nail Reacher’s “meticulous calculation during combat, demonstrating swift moves determined by careful thought and aggressive plotting,” says Celebuzz. Reacher is “an American gypsy,” traveling from town to town and getting drawn into conflicts — “not terribly unlike Cruise’s chosen profession of traveling between locations getting into fake adventures.” And Cruise has experience playing the type: Reacher is quiet and emotionally distant — “a more grounded, everyday version” of Mission: Impossible hero Ethan Hunt.
“Tom Cruise vs. Jack Reacher: How similar are the movie star and his latest character?”
Consensus: It’s far from his best role, but Tom Cruise manages to turn in a satisfying performance as Lee Child’s hero in Jack Reacher — even if the film itself isn't quite up to snuff.
Posted on Tuesday, January 14th, 2020 by Fred Topel
Amazon confirmed they have greenlit a streaming series based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books today in their Television Critics Association presentation. The series has been in development with Skydance and Paramount, the producers of the two Jack Reacher films starring Tom Cruise.
Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, answered questions about the potential casting of Jack Reacher, and announced the team developing the show. A press release sent out during the panel confirmed which Child book would be the basis for a first season.
Who will play Jack Reacher?
Fans of the books were a little turned off by the casting of Tom Cruise in the first Jack Reacher movie. Child describes Reacher as 6’5” and anywhere from 210-250 pounds. Cruise does not fit that description.
“We really are determined to find somebody who an embody that character for Lee and for all of us,” Salke said. “You may see us take our time really making sure we find that person, whether they exist in our purview or they are new discoveries from somewhere. We are going to do an extensive exploration of who can fit into those shoes.”
A new discovery seems the most likely because any of the actors who fit the description of Jack Reacher are already well established with their own franchise characters or solo careers. Someone like Dave Bautista could work, but he’d have to really like the deal Amazon is offering, or the quality of the show. Dwayne Johnson might be another obvious choice, but he seems unattainable with his movie paydays.
They’ll start with the first Jack Reacher book
Christopher McQuarrie adapted One Shot for the first Jack Reacher film. Amazon is starting with Child’s first Reacher book, The Killing Floor. Writer/showrunner Nick Santora gave this statement in a press release:
“Lee Child has created an incredible character and world; it will be the goal of every writer, producer, actor, executive and crew member to capture the essence of Mr. Child’s books – and luckily Lee has been there, and will continue to be there, to help guide us along the way in this series. He is the pulse of Reacher.”
Each book is a standalone Jack Reacher adventure. For a TV series, you might as well start at the beginning and go from there.
The producers of the movies are making the series
Tall Actors Who Could Play Jack Reacher
McQuarrie remains involved in the series as an executive producer, along with Scott Sullivan, and Skydance’s Don Granger, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison and Marcy Ross. Child is also an EP.
“It’s been great so far, but really, the fun starts here. By now I know these guys, and Reacher is in the perfect hands, believe me,” Child said in the press release.
Actors To Play Jack Reacher
Skydance also produces Amazon’s Jack Ryan series, based on the Tom Clancy character, and Salke expects the shows to share an audience.
“Lee, along with Nick Santora, Don Granger, Sullivan and Chirs McQuarrie all promise an action-packed series featuring the beloved badass,” Salke said. “We know our massive Jack Ryan fans will love this show.”
Skydance sure sticks with its franchises. They attempted Terminator: Dark Fate even after their Terminator: Genisys was a series-low performer. Changing mediums definitely seems like a smarter approach than cranking out more movies, and perhaps Cruise’s availability (he’s committed to their Mission: Impossible sequels) gives them an easy out to restructure.
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