Tom Cruise

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Lore & Background

Tom Cruise was cast as Jack Reacher in July 2011 after negotiations with Paramount Pictures and Cruise/Wagner Productions, which had acquired the film rights in 2005. Author Lee Child explained that finding an actor to match Reacher's giant size was impossible, and Cruise had the talent to make an effective Reacher. Child stated, "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way." Cruise starred in two films: *Jack Reacher* (2012) and *Jack Reacher: Never Go Back* (2016). In a 2018 interview, Child agreed with readers that size matters, saying, "The size of Reacher is really, really important... So what I've decided to do is – there won't be any more movies with Tom Cruise." The role was later recast with Alan Ritchson for the 2022 TV series.

In Their Own Story

In the 2012 film *Jack Reacher*, Cruise plays a former U.S. Army Military Police Corps investigator and drifter. The plot involves a mass shooting in Pittsburgh where five people are killed by a sniper. The suspect, James Barr, writes "GET JACK REACHER" on a legal pad. Reacher investigates, uncovering a conspiracy involving a Russian-mob-owned construction company. He works with defense attorney Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike) and confronts the villain Zek Chelovek (Werner Herzog). The film ends with Reacher on a bus, confronting a man abusing a young woman. The sequel, *Jack Reacher: Never Go Back* (2016), is based on the 2013 novel *Never Go Back*.

Reader's Guide

Tom Cruise's portrayal of Jack Reacher is the only film version of the character. The 2012 film was directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who also wrote and directed. Cruise performed all his own driving stunts during the car chase sequence. The film was shot in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from October 2011 to January 2012. The musical score was composed by Joe Kraemer and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. The premiere in Pittsburgh was postponed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and the film was released in North America on December 21, 2012. It received generally positive reviews and was a box office success. Dwayne Johnson revealed in 2017 that he was in the running for the role before Cruise was hired.

Did You Know?

• Tom Cruise performed all his own driving stunts in the car chase sequence of *Jack Reacher* (2012).
• Author Lee Child initially defended Cruise's casting, saying he brings '100% of Reacher with 90% of the height.'
• Dwayne Johnson revealed in 2017 that he was in the running to play Jack Reacher before Cruise was hired.
• The film's premiere in Pittsburgh was postponed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
• Cruise's sequel *Jack Reacher: Never Go Back* (2016) is based on the 2013 novel *Never Go Back*.