Reacher

Amazon Prime is producing a series based on Lee Childs' Reacher books. Yes, same Reacher that Tom Cruise played in two movies, except that it's being cast by the book, and apparently the first six? eight? episodes are doing the first book of the 26 book series, 'Killing Floor'.

Readers who liked the books, which are as formulaic in their own way as the James Bond novels, were pissed when Tom Cruise bought the rights and cast himself as the lead character. Cruise is 5'8" standing on a box, and Reacher is 6'5" and intimidating as hell. Casting him was so totally wrong for the role.

Anyhow, this looks far more like it should. If you have any interest and have not read the books, do yourself a favor and read 'Killing Floor' before you see it. It's an extremely well constructed thriller, near perfect genre fiction that spawned a long series of competent to very good sequels.

 

Now this looks like Jack Reacher. Two hopeful thumbs up.

 

I thought Cruise did a pretty good job, although I haven’t read the books. This Prime series looks good.

 

Cruise did pretty well, considering. It's just that local toughs should take one look at Jack Reacher and reassess their level of being offended before the first fist flies. Remember Cruise's speech to the local guys outside the bar about how he's going to bust up three or four of them and the others would run? It needs an actor with the physical stature and threatening demeanor to make you *feel* that threat, and that wasn't Cruise, no matter how much he narrows his eyes and bows up as he delivers the line.

 

Alan Ritchson certainly does look more like an imposing badass. He played that sort of role in Titans. He doesn't have near the acting chops of Cruise, but he seems like a good fit for this series.

Edit: I forgot until I looked at some of his previous acting credits, but he also had a recurring role as Aquaman on Smallville.

 

If I ever get in a trivia contest about series, hope I get a Reacher round.

 

I've read most, if not all, of the Reacher books and seen both movies. My wife, who hasn't read any of the books, liked the movies and liked Cruise in them. They were sorta OK, but I kept waiting for the real Reacher to show up, you know, somebody 6-5, 250. Hopefully the Prime series will be different.

 

Boo! Hiss!

 

Ritchson is 6-foot-2 and no lightweight, so perhaps a step in the right direction?

It's kind of a reverse of the issue when Hugh Jackman was first cast as Wolverine. The character in the source material was always short and some fans went nuts when they heard that a 6-2 guy got the role.

 

Booo

 

You look like the kind of guy who would hold a trivia tournament and not even have the goddamned common courtesy to give him a Reacher round.

 

Goddamn it, Pyle, lean forward and choke yourself!