Actor Alan Ritchson took on the reins as Jack Reacher from Tom Cruise in the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher. The former Legends of Tomorrow star has been getting rave reviews for his portrayal of the beloved drifter with a penchant for trouble, based on the novel series by author Lee Child.
While Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher films were not well celebrated by the audiences, Ritchson’s portrayal seems to have been accepted by the masses. However, two seasons in, Ritchson says that he is yet to perform two dream stunts as Jack Reacher, which was coincidentally already performed by his predecessor Tom Cruise.
Alan Ritchson As Jack Reacher
The popular character Jack Reacher has been portrayed in Film and TV twice. Tom Cruise was cast as Jack Reacher for the Christopher McQuarrie-directed adaptation of the novel One Shot. The film was titled simply Jack Reacher and was a moderate success at the box office, leading the studio to greenlight a sequel.
The sequel received a lukewarm and mixed response both critically and commercially. Even since Cruise was cast, fans of the novels had a complaint that the Mission Impossible star was not tall enough for the role. Reacher in the books is 6 ft 5 in while Cruise stands at 5 ft 7 in. Despite author Lee Child supporting Cruise’s casting initially, he later spoke about the height difference being a huge factor in how the character was treated in the films.
Also read: $377M Tom Cruise Franchise is Conquering Streaming Right Now: It Doesn’t Even Have Him in it Anymore
Hence, when Amazon Prime Video greenlit a series based on the iconic novels, they chose to cast Alan Ritchson. Ritchson had done his fair share of franchise roles, starting with the CW shows Smallville and then later Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow. He was also in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and was seen recently in Fast X.
Alan Ritchson’s portrayal of Jack Reacher was lauded by critics and audiences alike with many appreciating the star’s likeness to the way the character has been described in the books. The show received one more season which premiered recently and has been greenlit for a third season.
Alan Ritchson’s Dream Stunts Involve A Motorcycle And Skydiving
Reacher star Alan Ritchson has always made clear the reverence he has for Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Jack Reacher in the films. He knows the big shoes that he had to fill and has acknowledged that time again, with him even writing a heartfelt letter to the Edge of Tomorrow star which unfortunately did not reach him.
While Alan Ritchson’s character has been accepted more than Cruise’s iteration, the Blue Mountain State star still seems to want to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps. The actor was asked in an interview with Screen Rant about his dream stunt to perform on the show, to which he replied,
“Well, some good motorcycle stunts, I would love. I like to ride. I’d also like to do, like, aerial fights. Like, aerial skydiving fights. That would be the icing on the cake for me…A 20,000-foot [piledriver]! Exactly! Just don’t be the guy who lands on the bottom, and you live!”
The stunts that Ritchson has chosen seem to be similar to what Tom Cruise has done in other films, especially the Mission Impossible franchise. Cruise has performed an aerial skydiving fight sequence in Mission Impossible: Fallout, along with Henry Cavill.
The sequence is one of the highlights of the film as it is played out in one seemingly uninterrupted long take. Motorcycle stunts are the forte of Tom Cruise, with him recently creating history with his stunt in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part 1.
