Once Tom Cruise puts his stamp on a role, it’s almost impossible to separate the character from the actor. Be it Mission: Impossible’s devoted IMF agent Ethan Hunt or smooth pilot Pete Mitchell of Top Gun, through his incredible performances, the 60-year-old made these characters his own.
As such, when Alan Ritchson was cast to portray Jack Reacher in the television drama Reacher almost a decade after Cruise’s movie titled Jack Reacher, it didn’t fill many fans with excitement to see another version of the character. However, in a short time, the Nick Santora-created show became one of Amazon Prime Video’s most popular shows and got an order for a second season. However, Ritchson’s comments on Cruise suggest the superstar remains the one true Jack Reacher.
What Reacher Star Alan Ritchson Wished From Tom Cruise
Based on Killing Floor by Lee Child, Reacher starring Alan Ritchson follows Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator, who faces chaos in his civilian life after being falsely accused of murder.
The action-packed series on the man-mountain became Amazon’s biggest hit of all time, racking up 1.84 billion minutes of viewing time for its eight episodes in its first three days, as per Nielson (via Forbes).
In fact, some critics went as far as suggesting Ritchson did a lot better job when it came to violent sequences than Tom Cruise, who’s considered the poster boy of the action genre. Moreover, he fits the description of Child’s character better as the author described Reacher as a 6ft 5in muscle machine, which Cruise certainly isn’t. Meanwhile, Ritchson’s height is around 6 feet 2 inches.
Regardless, Ritchson has shown no signs of going ahead of himself due to such comparisons. In fact, in an interview in 2022, revealed he hoped Cruise would react to the series. He said (via Metro):
“He’s an icon, he’s a legend. I don’t feel worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as his name, he’s a true film legend. If I was ever so lucky to get a stamp of approval from him I could die happy. I’d probably quit while I was ahead. I think one season’s enough if I heard that from him.”
Going by his words, it seems Ritchson didn’t hear any reaction from Cruise because he’s all set to reprise the character for another season. The first three of its eight episodes will drop on the streaming platform on December 15.
Jack Reacher Makers Turned Down Dwayne Johnson in Favor of Tom Cruise
As mentioned above, Cruise’s small stature compared to the fictional character remained a big sticking point for many critics, who also noted his surprisingly subdued portrayal of Reacher, who in the book often finds himself embroiled in brutal encounters.
Turns out, the producers of the 2012 action drama snubbed the opportunity to rope in a perfect fit for the character, Dwayne Johnson, who’s as tall as the protagonist (6 feet 5 inches). The Fast and Furious star revealed through a post on X that he tried to bag the role but Cruise ended up getting it.
Yup, luv the character. Bout 10yrs ago I went after the role, but Cruise got it. Was great motivation for me to always stay hungry. https://t.co/bwpZfEVIMm
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 12, 2017
As far as the main metric of success in Hollywood is considered, Cruise did his job successfully, as his two Jack Reacher movies grossed well over $350 million in worldwide collection.
