Amazon reveals the first look at its Jack Reacher TV series adaptation with new images revealing Alan Ritchson starring in the titular role. The character, created by British author Lee Child and the protagonist of 26 novels to date, is a former US Army military police major who roams the country taking odd jobs and utilizing his skills to assist those in suspicious and dangerous situations. The property would finally make its way to the screen with 2012's Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise in the titular role and pairing him with director Christopher McQuarrie for the first time before his current position as writer and director of the recent Mission: Impossible films.
Jack Reacher would receive mixed-to-positive reviews and become a box office success, grossing over $213 million against its $60 million budget, leading to the 2016 sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, which saw a mixed-to-negative reception and lackluster box office numbers. This reception would see Child shift gears and make a deal with Skydance Television and Paramount Television in late 2018 for a TV adaptation of his Jack Reacher novels without Cruise returning, which would start to gain steam the following year as Scorpion creator Nick Santora signed on as showrunner for the project. Casting would get underway in late 2020 with Alan Ritchson set to lead the cast in the titular role while What We Do in the Shadows' Harvey Guillén and Smallville's Kristen Kreuk attached in supporting roles.
After a few months of silence on the show's progress, Entertainment Weekly has debuted the first look at Amazon's Jack Reacher TV series with new images. The photos reveal Ritchson starring in the titular role as a more book-accurate Reacher as well as supporting stars Fitzgerald and Goodwin. Check out the new images below:
Fans of the Jack Reacher novels found themselves hopeful in the show's potential when Titans star Alan Ritchson was cast for the titular role. In the source material, Reacher was described to be blond, six-foot-five and 250 pounds, a stark difference from Cruise's brown-haired, five-foot-seven stature, which received much criticism from fans upon the films' releases. Though Child initially tried to defend Cruise's casting for the Jack Reacher films, he has since changed his tune to admit fans were right in their criticisms for the difference in appearances and sought to cast a more appropriate actor for the series.
Throughout his career, Ritchson's larger stature has landed him major roles in the action genre, including Smallville's Aquaman, Titans' Hawk and Raphael in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot films. The Jack Reacher first look images should come as an exciting first tease of the show's potential for a more faithful approach to the character, with Ritchson clearly embodying the role as he gets tangled up in a dangerous new case per season. Only time will tell how fans respond to the series when Jack Reacher premieres on Amazon Prime on February 4.
Source: EW