# Here’s what I think of casting Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 21, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876 "2026-02-21T15:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/21 "2026-02-22T20:57:36Z")
Tiny compared to the walking meat mountain that Reacher is described as being. ---
**Author:** ![hideousidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/858c86/32.png) [@hideousidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hideousidiot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/22 "2026-02-22T21:52:24Z")
Topic seems to have been covered in 2012 [even down to the issue of casting short people around Cruise.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/20) ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/23 "2026-02-23T21:09:15Z")
Alan Ladd was a popular action star in the 1940s & 1950s despite an official height of 5’6”. He often stood on risers. He was often paired with short female costars. I wonder if Cruise is actually 5’7”. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/24 "2026-02-23T21:37:07Z")
I think he did a great job and the movies were enjoyable, as are most Tom Cruise action movies. Wolverine is supposed to be 5’3, doesn’t mean Hugh Jackman was a bad choice. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/25 "2026-02-24T06:17:04Z")
Is Wolverine’s height rountinely referred to in the comics though? Reacher’s stature is something that is mentioned all the time in Child’s novels. It’s one of his defining characteristics. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/26 "2026-02-24T13:17:55Z")
To be honest I am not a comic book reader, but it is one of the most well known facts about him. I know of it without ever having picked up a single comic book. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/27 "2026-02-24T14:21:34Z")
I think both Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes are taller than Cruise. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/28 "2026-02-24T14:44:03Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I think … Nicole Kidman [is] taller than Cruise Look! They’re the same height! [![](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/F4PKMH/nicole-kidman-and-tom-cruise-days-of-thunder-1990-directed-by-tony-F4PKMH.jpg) ](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/F4PKMH/nicole-kidman-and-tom-cruise-days-of-thunder-1990-directed-by-tony-F4PKMH.jpg) 😉 (she is 5’11" according to imdb and wikipedia) ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/29 "2026-02-24T19:03:38Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I think both Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes are taller than Cruise. I think both Penelope Cruz and Ana de Armas are shorter than him. But don’t let me stop you… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/30 "2026-02-24T23:02:55Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Is Wolverine’s height rountinely referred to in the comics though? Yep. Also, it’s a visual medium, so you can usually see that he’s significantly shorter than the other characters in the scene. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/31 "2026-02-25T06:24:09Z")
So what we’re saying is, Tom Cruise should’ve been cast as Wolverine? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/32 "2026-02-25T13:29:07Z")
Yes, and Huge Jackedman as Reacher. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876/33 "2026-02-25T14:33:51Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Huge Jackedman I always thought it was Hugh Jassman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/here-s-what-i-think-of-casting-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher/1027876.md?page=1)