Reacher author says Alan Ritchson is better suited to the role than Tom Cruise because Cruise is "not huge and he's not scary"

Reacher author Lee Child says Alan Ritchson is a better fit to play the former US Army military policeman than Tom Cruise was, because Cruise just doesn't have the necessary fear factor.

"I thought the first movie in particular was excellent. It was a really crisp, hard-edged thriller," Child told The Independent, referring to 2012's Jack Reacher. "Working with Tom was a pleasure and a privilege – he’s a really smart guy, he’s a smart filmmaker, he’s real fun. But you cannot escape the fact that Reacher is a huge guy."

Cruise also played Reacher in the sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, which was released in 2016. In Child's books, which have been published yearly since 1997, the character is described as being 6'5". Cruise, however, is 5'7".

Child continued, "That is a component in his entire approach to the world and the world’s approach to him. He’s huge, he’s implacable, he’s scary. And for all Tom’s ability in getting the internals of Reacher out, he is not huge and he’s not scary."

Fans weren't happy with the casting when it was first announced, and Child thinks his readers had a point. "The readers were terribly upset about it and I think, ultimately, the readers were right."

Ritchson, meanwhile, portrays the character in Amazon Prime Video's TV series, which is currently on its third season. The actor isn't quite Reacher's height, but he comes in pretty close at 6'2". "Alan was born to play Reacher and I think he knows that," Child added.

Our own Reacher season 3 review praises Ritchson's take on the character, too, saying that it "places him firmly among the great action heroes of recent memory."

Reacher season 3 is releasing weekly on Prime Video. For more, get up to speed with our Reacher season 3 release schedule, or fill out your watchlist with our guide to 2025's other best new TV shows.