Reacher: Why Was Tom Cruise Replaced and Why Cast Him in the First Place?

In June 2011, Tom Cruise agreed to play the title character in Christopher McQuarrie's Jack Reacher, a crime thriller based on Lee Child's novels. This sparked outrage among fans because Cruise did not fit Child's physical description of Reacher in the books.

Now there’s a new Reacher project in a TV series format on Amazon Prime. Cruise is nowhere to be seen, and in his place is the obviously bulkier and taller Alan Ritchson.

What was the point of signing Cruise when someone else could play Jack Reacher more convincingly?

Lee Child Approved of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher

During press tours, Child was diplomatic, stating that while Cruise may not look like Reacher, he conveyed Reacher's presence, which is more important when a real-life person is performing the character.

Jack Reacher is, in Child's words, an unstoppable force — he was previously a member of the military police force — and Cruise is one of the few actors who can convey "unstoppable steely determination."

Despite the disappointment of Child's book readers, the first Jack Reacher film went on to gross $218 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. It was enough to inspire a more expensive, but less well-received sequel in 2016, directed by Edward Zwick, titled Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.

However, Cruise's Reacher was always too short to emanate the necessary intimidation for the character. That, too, was something Child admitted to. His size, as well as his overall appearance, are important aspects of the Reacher persona, and Cruise's portrayal was simply too polished for someone who sees themselves as a "hobo."

This casting error is one of the primary reasons why the original films fail to match the success of the novels.

Enter Alan Ritchson, the New Jack Reacher

The new series stars Ritchson as the lead character, who, fortunately, is far more like the novel's description of Reacher. Based on his previous work, Ritchson has the ability to play this strange but enthralling figure.

So far in the Reacher trailer, he's proving that he's a good fit for the role, radiating a lot of the rough edges and quiet menace that the novels are known for. Ritchson is also still relatively young, so his take on the role has a lot of potential to go all the way.

Another flaw in Cruise's previous casting that this new series corrects is his age. Because Ritchson is closer to Reacher's age in the novels, he will be able to grow with the series as it progresses from book to book.

Reacher on Amazon Prime Video is the second attempt at adapting the novel series to screen, so there's a lot of pressure on Ritchson to do it right, especially if he has to live up to someone like Cruise, who is synonymous with stunts and action. Fortunately, his portrayal has shown promise thus far, which speaks well for the series' future.

Amazon Prime Video’s Reacher drops Friday, Feb. 4.