Amazon's upcoming show Jack Reacher has cast actor Alan Ritchson in the lead role. Ritchson currently stars on the superhero drama Titans as Hawk, one of the founding members of the show's eponymous Titans team. Ritchson has also appeared as Aquaman on Smallville and Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Amazon's Jack Reacher series isn't the first time Lee Child's books have been adapted for the big screen. Child's books follow Reacher, a former military policeman, who finds himself entangled in a series of adventures. The popularity of Child's series led to a 2012 Jack Reacher movie starring Tom Cruise and a 2016 sequel; now, though, Child is set to develop a Jack Reacher television series alongside Amazon, with Nick Santora serving as executive producer and showrunner.
Collider reports that Alan Ritchson is set to take on the starring role of Reacher in the TV series. This is exciting news for fans, especially considering Ritchson's height and stature; one of the strongest fan criticisms of Cruise's portrayal of Reacher is that the latter is described in the books as being well over six feet tall. As such, many felt that Cruise—who is only about 5'7"—wasn't the best person to assume the role of the beloved hero. That being said, Ritchson stands at a whopping six feet four inches tall, effectively mitigating one major hurdle that Cruise faced.
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke believes there's a lot of potential in developing a Jack Reacher series. With over 100 million books sold, the Jack Reacher franchise has a huge audience, something Salke recognizes as a boon for the series. She stated in January that the Jack Reacher book series is "...a global phenomenon with one of entertainment's most well-known heroes." It's clear that Amazon will consider Jack Reacher a priority, especially as it attempts to develop enough original content to rival its competitors at Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, among other subscription streaming services.
While the jury is still out on how Ritchson will do as Reacher, his past experience in various action-packed films and shows demonstrate that he has what it takes to play the character. Although Ritchson isn't as well-known as Cruise, he brings an undeniable presence to the screen. While fans of Jack Reacher will have to wait a while longer for Reacher's return, Ritchson's casting indicates that the final series will be well worth the wait.
Source: Collider