Back in 2012, Lee Child's wildly popular Jack Reacher character made his way to the big screen in the form of the Tom Cruise-led "Jack Reacher." The film did solid box office numbers and a sequel, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" was rolled out in 2016. Unfortunately, die-hard fans of Child's books weren't all too impressed with the 5-foot 7-inch Cruise playing the role of what was supposed to be an intimidating 6-foot 5-inch hulk of a man. So, once "Never Go Back" proved less financially successful than its predecessor, Child took his IP and went back to the drawing board. And in 2022, the Prime Video streaming series "Reacher" debuted to massive viewership, with 6-foot 3-inch Alan Ritchson in the lead role.
Throughout Jack Reacher's on-screen career, Child was never far away, shepherding his creation as he traversed the perilous landscape of Hollywood. Aside from being an executive producer on "Reacher," the author has lent his expertise to the two Cruise movies, as well as having a cameo in both films and the TV show. In "Jack Reacher" he plays a cop who can be seen behind a desk as the titular ex-military officer is released from jail. Then, in "Never Go Back," he plays a TSA agent who checks Reacher's ID at airport security, looking back and forth between Cruise and his ID in a slightly meta-comment on Child's ability to judge the star's ability to play the role.
Recalling casting "Reacher," Lee Child revealed in an interview that it was longtime Jack Reacher producer Don Granger that convinced him Ritchson was their leading man. The producer worked on both Jack Reacher movies and came along for the streaming show. And it was Granger to whom Ritchson turned when the idea struck him to have Child appear on-screen.
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