Last year, Amazon revived the action-thriller Jack Ryan franchise for its streaming service, with John Krasinski playing Tom Clancy’s anti-terrorist agent in an episodic show. And it seems they can’t get enough of all-American heroes named Jack – because Amazon is now also getting in on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, after a reported bidding war for the rights, with the plan to make a TV series. It’ll mark the character’s second screen incarnation, having previously been portrayed – controversially, due to his lack of physical resemblance to the character as described in the novels – by Tom Cruise in two films, 2012’s Jack Reacher, and its 2016 follow-up Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
The main creative force behind this one is Nick Santora, behind American series Scorpion – but interestingly, Christopher McQuarrie is named among the list of producers, which also includes Child. The filmmaker helmed the first Reacher film and is in near constant collaboration with Tom Cruise – though according to Variety, it seems like Cruise won’t be back as the titular action hero. When approached for comment, Reacher said nothing.
This is the latest example of Amazon bringing a major novel series to the big screen – beyond Ryan and Reacher, they have a Middle-earth show currently in production, and fantasy saga The Wheel Of Time on the way. It’s very early days on the Reacher show for now – but stay tuned for more news as the series gathers steam, and when we’ll find out which actor will step into that formidable lead role.