Reacher Author is Happy TV Show Cast an Actor Taller Than Tom Cruise

screenrant.com:

Lee Child was reportedly happy that Reacher opted to cast a larger actor to play his iconic character. Jack Reacher was previously played by Tom Cruise in two cinematic adaptations of the Jack Reacher novels, with Alan Ritchson stepping in as the character for the new TV show. Reacher is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

The Jack Reacher character originated in the pages of Lee Child's beloved thriller novels. In the books, the character is described as an enormous and imposing figure, standing six foot five with “hands the size of dinner plates.” This caused a slight backlash when Tom Cruise was cast for the live-action adaptation in Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, with some arguing that Cruise lacked the stature to embody the role properly. In this new show, the part has traded hands from Cruise to Ritchson, a considerably larger actor known for his roles in Blue Mountain State, Titans, and Smallville – all of which took full advantage of his almost hulking stature.

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Now, with Reacher streaming on Amazon Prime, Child has opened up about the development of the series and the shift from Tom Cruise to Alan Ritchson. Specifically, in a recent interview with Metro.co.uk the writer noted that he was pleased to see the on-screen character become more like his written counterpart. Check out his comments below:

I think that the size thing is important to certain parts of the narrative. Reacher has got to scare people and you can do that so much easier with one glance of this huge animal rather than a normal-sized actor.

Cruise’s Reacher was imposing in the sense that he could outclass almost anybody in physical combat, but the films often portrayed him as a