Director Edward Zwick takes the blame for the failure of the Jack Reacher films.

SUMMARY

Jack Reacher director Edward Zwick blames himself for killing Tom Cruise’s action franchise.
He also believed that the actor’s mismatched physicality with the character ruined the movies.

Tom Cruise introduced the character of Jack Reacher in the film industry, but his portrayal was marred with certain issues that left fans feeling he did not really nail the role. Alan Ritchson, who picked up the character in the Prime Video series, looked the part and absolutely delivered an incredible performance.

Alan Ritchson in Reacher
Still, the original Jack Reacher director does not put the blame on Cruise. He admitted the mistake was on his side and knew the actor was only miscast. However, he expressed interest in making another film if the Mission: Impossible actor wants to reprise the role.

Jack Reacher Director Blames Himself For The Franchise’s Demise

In his recently published memoir, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood, director Edward Zwick detailed the downfall of the Jack Reacher movie franchise. He confessed to experimenting with the script which did not appeal to the audience.

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, which Tom Cruise and I made in 2016, fizzled at the box office. I blame myself (and my willing accomplice, Don Granger) for thinking the audience might enjoy a mash-up of Jack Reacher and Paper Moon, when in fact they just wanted more red meat.”

Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher

Zwick expressed how much he enjoyed working with the cast, and he also acknowledged that Tom Cruise had nothing to do with the failure of the franchise. The actor was hired to play a character that was supposed to be more than six feet tall, which became an issue for many fans.

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“I had a wonderful time working with Cobie Smulders, and I certainly don’t blame Tom for not being six two — as the novelist Lee Child described his protagonist — and should Tom happen to call about making a third movie together, I’ll definitely pick up.”

The filmmaker still expressed enthusiasm over working with Cruise for another Jack Reacher film, though this seems very unlikely now given the controversy on his height and the newfound success of Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher.

Jack Reacher Author Compares Tom Cruise And Alan Ritchson

Alan Ritchson in Reacher
Author Lee Child spoke with Hindustan Times to weigh in on Tom Cruise’s and Alan Ritchson’s performances as Jack Reacher. He pointed out that the character’s physical appearance should be the first thing that people would notice.

“Tom Cruise is a great actor, and he had the internal part of Reacher which was good. But physicality is important to Reacher since he is a huge-looking and scary man, so when he steps into the room, everybody’s a little nervous. And I thought that Alan commanded that much better on the screen.”

With fans’ positive reception of Ritchson’s version and the immense success of the series, the franchise has received its much-needed revival. The author also believes the story is best told in a longer screen time, which is why the television series worked better than the movies.

Prime Video’s Reacher has been renewed for Season 3, though it has no scheduled release date yet.