Amazon has found their new Jack Reacher for the forthcoming TV series based on Lee Child’s best-selling novels. Alan Ritchson, known for his role as Hawk on Titans, is set to play the title role, previously depicted by Hollywood legend Tom Cruise in a pair of big-screen outings. The streaming giant is clearly high on the project; back in January, before they even had a lead, the show was ordered straight to series. That means when it’s safe to film, Ritchson will be shooting a whole season of TV, rather than just a pilot. The first season of the series will reportedly draw inspiration from Lee Child’s first Jack Reacher novel, 1997’s The Killing Floor.
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The Killing Floor was ironcially not a huge influence on the movies, in part because Cruise was significantly older when filming the first movie than Reacher was in that story. The Cruise movies incorporated elements from various books, but fans were always a little disappointed that, as fun as they were, there was never a more straightforward and recognizable adaptation of the books.
“I was kind of always amazed at his professionalism and willingness to help us out,” said Ritchson’s Titans co-star, Brenton Thwaites, who convinced the actor to appear alongside him in Ghosts of War. “That is, of course, after the fact of me being a massive Alan Ritchson fan. I think he’s just such a great actor and his comedic capabilities are unmatched, honestly. There’s no one as funny as Alan in that kind of shape, in that kind of human shape.”
“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.
