The process of adapting a popular novel into a film or streaming series is fraught with potential peril. Readers who love the source material will likely have very specific thoughts about how the narrative should play out in a visual medium, and, most importantly, which actors should portray their favorite characters. Any deviation from what worked on the page will be viewed with tremendous skepticism, if not outright rage. Take, for instance, the case of Daniel Craig getting cast as James Bond. Though even most die-hard fans now agree that he was an ideal 007 (Craig even had doubts himself), the fact that he did not conform completely to Ian Fleming’s description of the character in the books (Craig’s blonde hair was a major bone of contention) led some to loudly declare he was all wrong for the role.
As a grown-up who can accept that directors and writers are simply going to have visions different from my own when they tackle novels I’ve enjoyed, I tend to wait until they’ve actually finished the movie before I pass judgment. But there have been times when I’ve cried foul over filmmakers taking wild surface liberties with vividly written characters. And I can’t think of a more egregious alteration from the book version of a character to their depiction in a movie than Tom Cruise getting cast to play Jack Reacher.
Tiny Tom Cruise was an absurd choice to play Jack Reacher
If you’ve ever torn through one of Lee Child’s immensely entertaining Jack Reacher books, you know that the author isn’t shy about reminding the reader that his protagonist is a hilariously enormous man. At 6’5″ and 250 pounds, Reacher is roughly the same size as NFL All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, who routinely tosses quarterbacks around the field like they’re miniature action figures. There aren’t a whole lot of people on the planet who are as big as Reacher, so this gives him quite the physical advantage over the various villains he sometimes literally runs across in the books.
Given that it is enjoyable to imagine a massive good guy like Reacher whupping multiple bad guys at a time, I was thoroughly outraged when Cruise was cast to play this human wrecking ball in Christopher McQuarrie’s 2012 film “Jack Reacher.” At 5’7″ and maybe 150 pounds sopping wet, I wondered if the star’s notorious commitment to nailing the physical aspects of his performances was going to result in him roiding himself to the gills like a post-“Saturday Night Live” Joe Piscopo. Nope. Cruise just played Reacher as a slightly surlier Ethan Hunt, which should’ve been a deal breaker. Alas, McQuarrie put together a first-rate action-thriller, and Cruise somehow sold himself as a limb-cracking, skull-smashing badass.
Though the second film, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” was a huge letdown (thus killing the movie franchise), I had to admit that I liked Cruise’s Reacher. Lots of other Reacher fans did as well. What, however, did Child think about Cruise’s portrayal?
Lee Child likes his Jack Reacher to be big and meaty
In an interview with The Independent, Child effusively praised Cruise’s work as Jack Reacher. “I thought the first movie in particular was excellent,” he said. “It was a really crisp hard-edged thriller. Working with Tom was a pleasure and a privilege — he’s a really smart guy, he’s a smart filmmaker, he’s real fun. But you cannot escape the fact that Reacher is a huge guy.”
So, while Child thinks Cruise did the best he could given his pint-sized physical limitations, he now believes the fans were right to be upset over his casting. As he told The Independent:
“I mean, that is a component in his entire approach to the world and the world’s approach to him. He’s huge, he’s implacable, he’s scary, and for all Tom’s ability in getting the internals of Reacher out, he is not huge and he’s not scary. So the readers were terribly upset about it and I think, ultimately, the readers were right.”
As for his thoughts on Alan Ritchson’s performance in the Amazon Prime Video series “Reacher,” Child said, “Alan was born to play Reacher and I think he knows that.” Though Ritchson is actually two inches shorter than Reacher, he fills out quite effectively on a television screen. He’s one seriously big man, and that’s why “Reacher” is one seriously big hit.