One month ago, reports surfaced that one of the many projects Tom Cruise had on his desk was an adaptation of one of author Lee Child‘s Jack Reacher thrillers, “One Shot,” with Christopher McQuarrie attached to write and direct. Well, it’s now all signed, sealed and delivered.
Deadline reports that Paramount and Skydance Productions (who are also backing “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol“) have all shook hands and popped champagne on the film that will shoot in early fall. But the question will be how Cruise will bulk up for the part. In Child’s novels, Reacher is a monster of a man standing 6’5” (as opposed to Cruise’s 5’7”) and weighing around 250 lbs, with sandy blonde hair and a domineering presence of the kind that makes people turn around in restaurants to see what just breezed in the door. He’s a loner who moves town to town with nothing more than literally the shirt on his back and a few bucks in his pocket. His military training makes him a dangerous weapon and he can often tear apart more than one person at once with ease. It’s not exactly our first choice for the part so it will be interesting to see how the character is shaped to Cruise’s sensibilities and/or what he brings to the table to bring Reacher to life.
In “One Shot,” the ninth book in the series, Reacher is drawn into the case of a military sniper accused of five murders and discovers a twisty cover-up along the way. Child’s books are quick, brisk reads that are pulpy as hell and filled with terse, tense action. It’s certainly big screen ready and McQuarrie — who has written “The Usual Suspects,” “Valkyrie” and the aforementioned ‘Mission: Impossible’ flick and directed “The Way of the Gun” (which has its fans) — is a strong selection to guide the potential franchise-ready vehicle.
The plan is for Cruise to make this film first before heading over to work on Joseph Kosinski‘s sci-fi flick “Oblivion” early next year. The big question now is who will co-star in the film; there is a big female co-starring role that is definitely big enough to draw an A-list name. For now, here’s the Japanese version of the ‘Ghost Protocol’ trailer which is a bit shorter and doesn’t really have anything new, but is still damn good nonetheless.
