Even though author Lee Child gave the short-lived franchise his blessing, you can tell that he was never really sold on the prospect of Tom Cruise playing the title hero in the Jack Reacher series.
The actor may have reigned as one of the biggest stars in the business for 35 years, but he’s a touch more diminutive than Child’s literary creation. Not that Jack Reacher and sequel Never Go Back were awful, with the first installment in particular a refreshingly hard-hitting thriller with a defiantly old-school vibe, but Amazon’s episodic reboot Reacher looks to be a much more faithful adaptation.
Titans star Alan Ritchson embodies the part on the small screen, and it would be understatement to call him a hefty slab of meat. Speaking to Empire, he made it clear that his spin on the military investigator is an altogether different animal, even if he stopped short of name-dropping his predecessor.
“Barefoot I’m six-three-and-a-half…ish. When I put boots on I’m six-five. And we decided we’re gonna come in at 235. I walk around at 205, so I wanted to put on some weight. And it shows on screen. I look like an ox. Also, casting nobody over three feet helps. We have to get children as supporting cast. He’s smart enough to make somebody feel very small, not because of his size but because of his intelligence. He’s a funny guy, in a very dry way. That was one of the most important things for us.”
The first trailer for Reacher promised a light and breezy action crime drama that’s sure to go down a treat with dads everywhere, but we remain curious to see if Ritchson has the chops to back up his impressive stature. We don’t have long to wait, though, with the show coming to streaming in Feb. 2022.