This year it was announced that Tom Cruise would be stepping down from his role as Lee Child’s most famous creation, the ex-military man Jack Reacher, a 6’5″ titan, built like a brick wall, and standing head and shoulders above Cruise’s comparatively smaller 5ft 7 frame. With a TV series now in development, a recasting is due, so here’s a look at five people who could potentially be our next Jack Reacher.
- Josh Duhamel
At 6’3″, Duhamel is near enough the height to play Reacher succ
essfully.
He’s arguably best known for his role as Capt. William Lennox in the Transformers franchise, wherein Duhamel effectively portrayed a military man.
One could suggest then that, if the series were to focus on Reacher’s years in the military police (as opposed to his time after, which takes the main focus of the majority of Child’s novels), then Duhamel may indeed be an excellent fit for the role.
- Liam Hemsworth
The case could be made that any of the Hemsworth brothers could take on the role of Reacher, though Luke is perhaps less suitable (being quite a bit shorter than Liam and Chris).
I’ve decided to opt for Liam here, as I feel that Chris is likely too invested playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for this role to go to him.
Liam himself starred most famously as Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games film franchise, as well as in Neighbours, among other projects, on the small screen. In the former, Hemsworth starred as an action hero though of a slightly different ilk to Reacher, but, with a bit of tweaking, Hemsworth could be a great match for the role, given his 6ft 3 height.
- Jim Caviezal
Another physically imposing actor, Caviezal stands at 6’2″, suitably fitting Reacher’s height criteria, but moreover it is Caviezal’s suitability in prior roles that really justifies his inclusion on his list.
His past work playing Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ aside, his role as ex-CIA man John Reese in the show A Person of Interest truly displayed Caviezal’s potential for portraying the complicated action hero.
Here Caviezal mimics qualities of Reacher away from merely the physical – Reese exhibits great intelligence and detective work, a calmness in intense situations, and an ultimate desire to protect those who deserve protection, all of which Reacher embodies to some degree.
- Jon Bernthal
Bernthal perhaps fits the physical parameters least out of all the candidates here, but I feel his track record and general acting ability puts him in a good place.
He stands at 5’11”, significantly taller than Cruise yet still significantly shorter than Reacher. His role as Shane Walsh in The Walking Dead shot him onto the scene, but it was seeing him as Frank Castle in Daredevil Season 2 and The Punisher that really highlighted his suitability for the role. Castle is, like Reacher, an ex-military man, marked by his past in more ways than one. Bernthal does a great job at portraying such a character there, and I feel that he could offer a superb character-driven take on Reacher, if given the chance.
- Liam Neeson
Unfortunately, this one is almost certainly never going to happen, but Neeson is an actor who, in years gone by, I feel would’ve been a near-perfect fit for Reacher.
Physically, Neeson is suitably imposing, standing at a remarkable 6’4″, and, as we’ve seen in the Taken films, can genuinely keep up to standard in fight scenes.
Neeson himself is also an incredibly accomplished and talented actor, potentially giving an extra depth to Reacher that others may not be able to capture.
The only issue with Neeson – and this, regrettably, is a fatal one – is his age. Neeson turned 66 years old this year, and with a television series more likely to deal with a younger Reacher (even in the later novels he is only just into his fifties), Neeson appears to lack the longevity for the role.
All in all, Reacher remains one of modern cultures most beloved action heroes, and one must hope that whoever takes on the role, be they from this list or not, does the character justice. Though with no further details yet released regarding Child’s upcoming series, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see who fills Reacher’s shoes.
Joe Paternoster
Featured image courtesy of Steve Maw.
Article images courtesy of IMDb.
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