Jack Reacher is a series of novels, novellas and short stories by British author Jim Grant under the pen name Lee Child.[1] As of January, 2022, the series includes 26 books and a short story collection.[2] The book series chronicles the adventures of Jack Reacher, former major in the United States Army Military Police Corps, as he roams the United States taking odd jobs and investigating suspicious and frequently dangerous situations. The Reacher series has maintained a schedule of one per year, except for 2010, when two were published.
The character has been portrayed by Tom Cruise in a 2012 film and 2016 sequel and Alan Ritchson in a streaming television series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2022.
Most of the novels are set in the United States, in locales ranging from major metropolitan areas like New York City and Los Angeles to small towns in the Midwestern United States and the Southern United States. Reacher's travels outside the United States have taken him to rural England (The Hard Way, Maybe They Have a Tradition), London (Personal), Hamburg (Night School) and Paris (The Enemy, Personal).
Films[]
:Main article: Jack Reacher (film) and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
The 2012 action thriller film Jack Reacher was adapted from the 9th novel, 2005's One Shot, and starred Tom Cruise in the title role.[3] The film was directed by Christopher McQuarrie.[4] Cruise reprised the role in the sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, an adaptation of the 18th Jack Reacher book, Never Go Back, which was directed by Edward Zwick, and released 21 October 2016.[5]
Tom Cruise's casting was met with criticism from fans of the book series, primarily because the disparity in their heights, with Reacher portrayed as a blond, 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, 250-pound man in the novels, while Cruise is a 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) tall brunet.[6][7] In 2012 Child commented on Cruise's casting by saying, "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way." In 2018, Child expressed the opinion that the fans were right about the height of actor portraying the character.[8]Andreeva, Nellie (November 14, 2018). "'Jack Reacher' TV Series In The Works". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 15, 2018.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto module").</ref>
Television[]
- Main article: Reacher (Jack Reacher)
On 14 November 2018, Child announced that he made a deal with Skydance Television and
Paramount Television to produce a Jack Reacher series based on Child's novels, during which feature films would no longer be produced. He also stated that Tom Cruise would not be returning to the role, and that another actor would be cast in the role, which he hoped would represent the character more properly than seen in the films. Paramount Television and Skydance Television are said to be producing the potential series. Child said of the recasting:
"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...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. We're rebooting and starting over and we're going to try and find the perfect guy.[9]
On 15 July 2019, Variety reported that Amazon will develop the series for Prime Video with Nick Santora as the showrunner, writer and executive producer alongside Child, Don Granger, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross.[10][11] On 4 September 2020, Alan Ritchson was cast as the titular role.[12] On 2 December 2021, the series, simply titled Reacher, premiered 4 February 2022.[13]
Media[]
All of the Jack Reacher novels have been released in audio form in MP3 format. The most consistent narrator for these is Dick Hill.[14][15]
Paramount Pictures hired Academy Award–nominated screenwriter Josh Olson to adapt One Shot, under the title Jack Reacher. Christopher McQuarrie, Oscar-winning screenwriter for The Usual Suspects, was then brought in to rewrite Olson's draft.[16] It was announced in July 2011 that Tom Cruise—a 5'7" (1.70 m) actor—would play Reacher, who is 6'5" (1.96 m) in the books. Lee Child said, "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way."[17]
It was announced in September 2014 that Tom Cruise would reprise the role in the sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, which would adapt the 18th novel, Never Go Back. McQuarrie did not direct, due to a commitment with another Cruise film, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,[18][19] and was replaced with Edward Zwick. The film was released 21 October 2016.[20]
On 14 November 2018, Child announced that he made a deal with Skydance Television and Paramount Television to produce a Jack Reacher series based on Child's novels. During this time, feature films production would be halted. He also stated that Cruise would not return to the role. He said he hoped the new actor would more properly represent Reacher. Paramount Television and Skydance Television are slated to produce the potential series. Child said of the recasting:[21]
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...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. We're rebooting and starting over and we're going to try and find the perfect guy.[21]
On July 15, 2019, a TV series adaptation of the series under the name Reacher starring Alan Ritchson (6'2", or 188 cm) was announced by Amazon with showrunner Nick Santora, writing and producing the series through Paramount Television and Skydance Media.[22] On January 14, 2020, the TV series was approved, with Child and Christopher McQuarrie executive producing the first season, which adapted the first novel in the series, Killing Floor.[23] The series was released on February 4, 2022.[24]
References[]
- ↑ Curtis, Bryan (2012). "The Curious Case of Lee Child: Before Tom Cruise could become Jack Reacher, Jim Grant had to become Lee Child".
- ↑ Good, Dead (2022-01-10). "Jack Reacher books in order". Dead Good.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike (15 July 2011). "Tom Cruise Locked To Play Jack Reacher In 'One Shot' For Paramount And Skydance". Deadline. Retrieved 17 July 2011.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto module").
- ↑ McWeeny, Drew. "Why hasn't Paramount started making Jack Reacher movies?", HitFix, 20 October 2010.
- ↑ "Ed Zwick In Talks To Direct 'Jack Reacher' Sequel", deadline.com, 19 May 2015.
- ↑ "CarolynKellogg2012"
- ↑ "AndreaSachs2012"
- ↑ DeadlineHollywood
- ↑ DeadlineHollywood
- ↑ Throne, Nick (15 July 2019). "Amazon to Develop 'Jack Reacher' Series".
- ↑ "'Jack Reacher' TV Series in the Works at Amazon". The Hollywood Reporter (15 July 2019).
- ↑ Andreeba, Nellie (September 4, 2020). "'Jack Reacher': Alan Ritchson Cast As Title Character In Amazon TV Series". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ "Big News: 'Reacher' TV Series Starring Alan Ritchson Gets Premiere Date, Trailer". Deadline (2 December 2021).
- ↑
- ↑ Laidman, Jenni (20 November 2017). "Audiobook roundup: It's time to give Jack Reacher a new voice". Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ McWeeny, Drew (20 October 2010). "Why hasn't Paramount started making Jack Reacher movies?". HitFix.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike (15 July 2011). "Tom Cruise Locked To Play Jack Reacher In 'One Shot' For Paramount And Skydance". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ Schaefer, Sandy (September 2014). "'Jack Reacher' Author Says the Movie Sequel Will Have a New Director". Screen Rant.
- ↑ O'Connell, Sean (17 September 2014). "Jack Reacher 2 Is Happening, With These Changes". Cinema Blend.
- ↑ "Tom Cruise to attend charity movie premiere in Knoxville". WBIR (Knoxville, Tennessee). 13 September 2016.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Andreeva, Nellie (14 November 2018). "'Jack Reacher' TV Series In The Works". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ Thorne, Will (July 15, 2019). "Amazon to Develop 'Jack Reacher' Series". Variety.
- ↑ Otterson, Joe (January 14, 2020). "'Jack Reacher' Series Gets Greenlight at Amazon". Variety.
- ↑ Lawrence, Derek (December 2, 2021). "Alan Ritchson sizes up Jack Reacher in first look at Amazon series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 2, 2021.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto module").
External Links[]
