Lee Child, the author who created and penned 23 Jack Reacher novels and various short stories, has confirmed that a TV reboot of his prolific series is on the way, albeit without Tom Cruise in the titular role.
In an interview with BBC Radio, Child claimed that, despite various fitting qualities, Cruise was simply too short for the role, clocking in at 5’7”. Jack Reacher, on the other hand, is supposed to be 6’5” tall.
“I really enjoyed working with Cruise. He’s a really, really nice guy,” said Child. “We had a lot of fun, 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.
“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. 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.”
Though the decision to forgo Cruise as Jack Reacher may have been for this simple reason, he isn’t known for being a television actor in the first place. Considering that the second Jack Reacher film, Never Go Back, earned considerably less than the first, it’s possible the switch to television and Cruise not appearing could be a result of a combination of factors.
Child confirmed that a deal was signed last week to make the series into a streaming show, though no specific streaming service, release dates or casting have been announced.
For more on Jack Reacher, check out our review of the original, which we described as “a pedestrian flick riddled with cliches and one-note characters.” In our review of the sequel Never Go Back, we said it’s “a fun, absurd action romp with a few memorable moments that can’t help but be boosted by Cruise’s natural onscreen charisma.”
Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.