Lee Child wants Tom Cruise to play Jack Reacher
16th June 2011
Author Lee Child has publically endorsed Tom Cruise as his choice to play Jack Reacher in the upcoming adaptation of One Shot, the ninth novel in Child's bestselling series.
Cruise is currently in talks to play the character, despite his height being an issue – Reacher stands at 6ft 5in, while the Hollywood actor is only 5ft 7in.
Nonetheless, Child believes Cruise has what it takes to play Reacher, who has featured in 15 of the author's books, which have sold a total of 40 million copies worldwide.
'Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way,' Child commented.
The film, due to start shooting in the autumn, is to be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who most recently had box office success with Tron: Legacy.
Other authors seem less convinced of Cruise's suitability to play the role, however, with American author Tom Bergeron claiming the casting decision could only work on the radio.
Ian Rankin also likened the move to Whoopi Goldberg portraying the white, male protagonist Bernie in the 1987 adaptation of Lawrence Block's The Burglar in the Closet.