Tom Cruise has been one of the most sought-after action stars in Hollywood. Of course, his prowess exceeds across genres, starring in films beyond action movies. However, he’s not always the perfect cast for certain roles.
Cruse appeared in Christopher McQuarrie’s 2012 movie Jack Reacher. Based on Lee Child’s 2005 One Shot, Cruse played the lead character in the movie. However, the movie faced criticism over casting Cruise as he is relatively smaller to the character depicted in the novel. In the expansion of the franchise, however, Alan Ritchson replaced the Mission Impossible star.
Alan Ritchson Replaced Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher
Alan Ritchson has a few remarkable credits to his name, including his DC role, Hank Hall a.k.a. Hawk. Significantly, he is the perfect cast for Jack Reacher as far as the expansion of the franchise is concerned. In 2022, Prime Videos dropped the first season of Reacher, based on the same character Tom Cruise played in his 2012 movie. Reacher was an instant hit and soon renewed for the second season. Lee Child, the author of the original book series, acknowledged Cruise but accepted the fact that readers have always been right despite his previous argument explaining Reacher’s physical size was just a metaphor. “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. And Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality. So what I’ve decided to do is – there won’t be any more movies with Tom Cruise. Instead we’re going to take it to Netflix or something like that. Long form streaming television, with a completely new actor. And I want all those readers who were upset about Tom Cruise to help me out – participate in choosing the right actor for the TV series.”
With that, the author also confirmed the television series with a new star, “We’re rebooting and starting over, and we’re going to try and find the perfect guy.” Thankfully, Ritchson joined the project, and it has made all the difference, at least for the fans and critics.
Alan Ritchson Opened Up On Replacing Tom Cruise
Ritchson’s ginormous physique is perfect for the role as critics and fans hailed the decision. Also, the show has been a huge success for Prime Videos as Reacher reached 1.8 billion minutes of watch time for eight episodes in just three days of its release. Amid Ritchson’s fame and success, the actor went on to thank Cruise as he acknowledged the Mission Impossible star’s prowess as an action megastar.
“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,” Ritchson said in 2022 (via Metro).
Thankfully, Ritchson has retained the legacy of the character from the book series of Child and the cinematic appearance of Cruise. The show has been renewed for season 2 after the huge success of the show in its first season. As per reports, the second season of the show will land on Prime Videos on December 15 with the first three episodes, and the rest will be released one episode every week.
