'Jack Reacher' author Lee Child agrees with readers that Tom Cruise wasn't 'right' for film franchise

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: For years, 'Jack Reacher' fans were vocal about their disappointment in Tom Cruise’s casting as the legendary action hero.

Now, the man who created the character, author Lee Child, has admitted that readers were right all along. 

Lee Child recalls his readers being terribly upset over Tom Cruise being cast as Jack Reacher

Before Alan Ritchson stepped into the role for Amazon Prime Video’s 'Reacher', Tom Cruise played the character in two films- 2012’s 'Jack Reacher' and its 2016 sequel 'Never Go Back'. 

But despite his box office clout, fans of the book series weren’t buying it. Their biggest issue was nothing but height.

In Child’s books, Reacher is a physical force—standing at 6ft 5in, described as "extremely broad, long-armed and long-legged." 

Cruise, at 5ft 7in, simply didn’t measure up.

Speaking to The Independent, Child reflected on the backlash and, while praising Cruise’s performance, ultimately conceded that fans had a point.

"I thought the first movie in particular was excellent," the British author said, adding, "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."

And height, according to Child, is not just an aesthetic detail, it’s fundamental to Reacher's character.

"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," Child admitted. 

Lee Child thinks Alan Ritchson was born to play Jack Reacher

Now, with Alan Ritchson in the role, it seems the Reacher franchise has finally found its perfect lead.

At 6ft 2in, Ritchson still isn’t quite as towering as the literary Reacher, but he brings the right blend of physicality and intensity.

"Alan was born to play Reacher and I think he knows that," Child said, showing his confidence in the 'Titans' and 'Smallville' star.

With Ritchson at the helm, Reacher has been a massive success, and fans are already buzzing about the upcoming third season, which will adapt the seventh book in the series, 'Persuader'.

Finding the biggest villain yet for 'Reacher' Season 3

One of the most anticipated aspects of 'Reacher' Season 3 will see the introduction of Paul "Paulie" Masserella, a character who is even bigger than Jack Reacher.

However, casting him reportedly was no easy feat.

The production team scoured the globe for the perfect actor to fill Paulie’s shoes and eventually landed on Dutch bodybuilder Olivier Richters, who is 7ft 1in tall.

Compared to Ritchson’s 6ft 2 inches, the size difference is as dramatic as it is intimidating.

Child admitted that writing about a massive villain is easy—bringing that vision to life on screen is another challenge entirely.

"That’s the perfect illustration of how easy it is for me and how hard it is for them because all I have to do is type different words – it costs me nothing," he said.

"Whereas to put that into physical reality on the screen, they’ve got to find that actor. It was literally an international search. There are very few actors even Alan’s size so to get somebody who is noticeably bigger was incredibly difficult. But they found the guy. He is huge! And very scary," Child recalled. 

And for those wondering if Paulie’s size will be exaggerated using camera tricks? The author insists the intimidation factor is absolutely real. "There is no trickery at all on the screen," he assured.