Jack Reacher Given Series Order by Amazon Prime

A slew of television networks and streaming services are already preparing their rosters for the 2020-2021 television season, and that is including quite a lot of buzzworthy new series. Amazon Prime‘s slate of programming appears to be no exception, as it has officially given a series order to the upcoming adaptation of Jack Reacher. The news was announced by Amazon’s Jennifer Salke during the Television Critics Association press tour. The first season of the series will reportedly draw inspiration from Lee Child’s first Jack Reacher novel, 1997’s The Killing Floor.

The Jack Reacher series follows the titular character, a former major in the Army’s military police who roams the United States taking odd jobs and investigating dangerous situations. Child’s books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide, resulting in over a billion dollars in global sales. He is expected to serve as an EP on the series, with Scorpion‘s Nick Santora operating as writer and showrunner.

“Lee Child has created an incredible character and world,” Santora said in a statement. “It will be the goal of every writer, producer, actor, executive and crew member to capture the essence of Mr. Child’s books – and luckily Lee has been there, and will continue to be there, to help guide us along the way in this series. He is the pulse of Reacher.”

“It’s been great so far, but really, the fun starts here,” Child added. “By now I know these guys, and Reacher is in the perfect hands, believe me.”

The franchise was most recently adapted into two films from Paramount – 2012’s Jack Reacher and 2016’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The films saw Tom Cruise playing the titular role, something that was often deemed controversial for fans, as Cruise did not resemble Reacher’s physique in the books. In 2018, Child first revealed that a television adaptation was in the works, and that Cruise would not be returning into the role.

“I really enjoyed working with Cruise. He’s a really, really nice guy. We had a lot of fun,” Child explained in 2018. “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.”

“What I’ve decided to do is – there won’t be any more movies with Tom Cruise.” Child continued. “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. We’re rebooting and starting over and we’re going to try and find the perfect guy.”

The television adaptation will be executive produced by Santora, Child, Don Granger, and Mission: Impossible – Fallout! director Christopher McQuarrie. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross executive produce for Skydance Television. Carolyn Harris oversees the project for Skydance. Paramount Television will also be co-producing the series.

What do you think of Jack Reacher officially heading to Amazon Prime? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!