Though acknowledging Tom’s acting talent, Lee Child has to agree with fans who complained that the 'Mission Impossible' star didn't have the right physicality to take on the titular character.
- Nov 15, 2018
AceShowbiz - Bestselling author Lee Child has agreed with fans of his "Jack Reacher" book series, who felt Tom Cruise was too short to play the literary action man.
The writer has revealed the character will be recast for an upcoming TV drama after Cruise played Reacher in two movies, 2012's "Jack Reacher" and 2016's "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back".
Child admits he had a great time working with Cruise but now accepts the movie star wasn't a big enough presence to win over fans of his books.
In Child's books, Reacher is described as 6ft 5in tall with hands the size of dinner plates. Cruise is almost a foot shorter.
"Cruise, for all his talent, didn't have that physicality," Child told BBC Radio Manchester.
"I really enjoyed working with Cruise. He's a really, really nice guy. 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."
Child has decided there will be no more "Jack Reacher" movies and now he is planning to take the franchise to Netflix or another streaming site.
"I want all those readers who were upset about Tom Cruise to help me out and participate in choosing the right actor for the TV series," he tells the BBC. "We're rebooting and starting over and we're going to try and find the perfect guy."
Cruise's outings as Reacher weren't exactly flops - the first "Jack Reacher" film, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, made $218 million (£167 million) at the global box office, and the sequel, which wasn't well received by critics, grossed $162 million (£124 million).
