# Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher? WTF?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 2, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865 "2012-06-02T13:38:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 6
### Author:  [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/101 "2012-07-09T19:17:13Z")
> [@3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](#):
>
> The trailer confirmed all of my fears - they’ve turned Reacher into a short action hero with a muscle-car fetish.
It’s _Burn Notice - The Movie_
---
### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2012, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/102 "2012-07-10T04:40:20Z")
> [@PlainJain](#):
>
> Have I done something to offend you? How is offering my opinion on a topic you started threadshitting?
Because your opinion was that he was stupid for daring to even think that caring that the movie is not like the book. That’s declaring the topic to be beneath you.
---
### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/103 "2012-07-10T04:41:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> It’s difficult to explain why the Mission: Impossible movies did well without citing Cruise’s involvement. The movies were extremely middle-quality action fare of the sort that gets released every month. Knockoff movies from TV shows are not exactly a revolutionary idea, and there wasn’t anything spectacular about them, nor were there any huge A-list actors aside from Cruise. Nobody was paying $12 to see Philip Seymour Hoffman, and I say that despite thinking he put on a sensational performance in MI3.
>
> Nevertheless the films made absolute gobs of money. “Ghost Protocol” has raked in $700 million. I believe Tom Cruise was the main reason.
>
> Look, it is inescapably true that Tom Cruise pulls in money. YOU may not like him, but that does not mean someone doesn’t. I watch no reality TV, not one minute of a single show, but it would be insane for me to conclude reaity TV isn’t popular. There is a limit as to how far you can claim an actor is getting work for no reason. An actor can have a few bombs, but sooner or later if they don’t demonstrate marquee value the phone calls will stop.
Yes, but most of that stuff was a long time ago. The question is if he’s still pulling in people now. It’s possible, of course, but most everyone I know thinks that he sucks now.
---
### Author:  [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/104 "2012-07-10T06:36:04Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> Yes, but most of that stuff was a long time ago. The question is if he’s still pulling in people now. It’s possible, of course, but most everyone I know thinks that he sucks now.
Actually I did a little IMDBing the other day just on that subject to compare Cruise’s estimated budgets vs. domestic gross. Going back 16 years (skipping Tropic Thunder and Magnolia because he wasn’t the main star), we got.
**Rock of Ages:** 75mil budget/35m domestic (BOMB, but it was a bomb from the get-go and not even Lawrence Olivier could have saved it)
**MI:IV** : 145/209 (Probably did real well overseas too)
**Knight and Day:** 117/76 (Bomb)
**Valkyrie:** 75/83 Middling success, but I’m sure it did real well overseas
Lions for Lambs: 35/14 (Smaller film and poorly marketed)
\*\*MI:3: \*\* 150/134 (Slight loser domestically)
\*\*War of the Worlds: \*\* 132/234 (Big success, but Cruise wasn’t really the sole draw)
\*\*Collateral: \*\* 66/100 (Success, though you could say he co-headlined)
**The Last Samurai:** 140/111 (Slight bomb domestically)
**Minority Report:** 102/132 (Not a huge number, but made its money back and then some)
MI:II: 125/215
**Vanilla Sky:** 68/100 (Surprisingly made a decent profit)
**Eyes Wide Shut:** 65/55 (Slight bomb domestically, but made 160 worldwide)
**Jerry Maguire:** 50/153 (Uber success)
\*\*MI: I \*\* 80/180 (Yeah)
1.425 B - Estimated budget
1.697 B - Domestic Gross
Though most of that came from the earlier years. Of his last five movies, 2 were bombs, 1 was a big hit, 1 was a decent success with probably greater overseas reach, and 1 was a small budget loser.
His success to failure ratio is getting smaller. His pull certainly has gotten weaker.
---
### Author:  [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2012, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/105 "2012-07-10T12:00:12Z")
Based on this thread, I started the first book. Wow. The opening scene with Reacher and the cops needs someone who looks intimidating from the outside, not knowing anything else about him. How is that Cruise? And then from there, we go to the prison scene. Again, having a tough time seeing Cruise being able to do that without changing everything to fit him and then it’s not Reacher.
So, I get what people are saying about TC’s ability to be Reacher.
DXZero - Wow! I didn’t realize that Cruise had slowed down that much in domestic pull. I wonder if worldwide is what helps? ([http://www.the-numbers.com/people/TCRUI.php](http://www.the-numbers.com/people/TCRUI.php))
---
### Author:  [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/106 "2012-07-10T15:39:45Z")
> [@vislor](#):
>
> DXZero - Wow! I didn’t realize that Cruise had slowed down that much in domestic pull. I wonder if worldwide is what helps? ([http://www.the-numbers.com/people/TCRUI.php](http://www.the-numbers.com/people/TCRUI.php))
Yeah I was kind of shocked too. Those numbers may not be completely accurate, but they at least give you a sense.
Of course he had nowhere to go but down. His first big starring role, **Risky Business** …$6 million budget, $63 million domestic gross. I’m assuming thats not inflation adjusted either.
---
### Author:  [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/107 "2012-07-10T15:51:28Z")
Yeah those are some insane overseas grosses. **The Last Samurai** for instance, basically tripled its domestic box office. As did **Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol**
He still can put butts in the seats, not just American butts.
---
### Author:  [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/108 "2012-07-16T14:34:45Z")
> [@3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](#):
>
> Who cares if Cruise pulls in the fans? There’s no goddamn way you’d ever mistake him for Reacher. Not in a million years. The trailer confirmed all of my fears - they’ve turned Reacher into a short action hero with a muscle-car fetish.
Actually, I just re-read One Shot, and he does actually borrow a muscle car. A Mustang, to be precise. So as long as he doesn’t roll into town in it, we’re fine on that score.
I also ran across this quote from Lee Child on Amazon froma few years ago.
> [@](#):
>
> Q: Jack Reacher gets compared to James Bond, Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne, each of whom now has a “face.” In a movie, which actor do you think could fill Reacher’s shoes?
> A: That’s the toughest question. The thing about Reacher is he’s huge; he’s 6’5" tall and about 250 pounds. There aren’t any actors that size–actors tend to be small. So we aren’t going to find a physical facsimile for Reacher because there aren’t any. We have to find someone who is capable of looking big on the screen. Many people have said to me a young Clint Eastwood would have been perfect–we need someone like that who has the vibe of a big intimidating man. Hopefully there will be somebody available like that. It’s also a question of finding somebody ready to sign up for more than one movie. They want to make a franchise, minimum of three, and that makes it a little bit harder.
---
### Author:  [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/109 "2012-07-18T19:43:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I can’t believe they’re casting this runt as Lee Child’s 6’5", 250 pound wrecking machine. Worse, this could turn into a series of films along the James Bond or Jason Bourne line. What’s next, Daniel Radcliffe as The Terminator?
“Do you not know that King Kong the first was just three foot six inches tall? He only came up to Faye Wray’s belly button! If God could do the tricks that we can do he’d be a happy man!”
From [The Stunt Man](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081568/quotes), with Peter O’Toole. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@BladeSparkles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BladeSparkles)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/110 "2012-08-08T22:03:58Z")
I have read every book in the series and will definitely not be going to see this movie with Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. I think Liam Neeson or The Rock would have been much better choices. Though I can also agree with Liev Schrieber and Viggo Mortenson.
---
### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/111 "2012-08-09T03:36:16Z")
> [@BladeSparkles](#):
>
> I have read every book in the series and will definitely not be going to see this movie with Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. I think Liam Neeson or The Rock would have been much better choices. Though I can also agree with Liev Schrieber and Viggo Mortenson.
They will have to completely change who the character is. They can film Cruise on top of a step ladder and he _still_ won’t look intimidating. I can only read one of those books about every six months or so, as the plots are so over-the-top, so I don’t have much invested in this, but Tom Cruise? Really?
---
### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/112 "2012-08-09T06:59:29Z")
I think that Swedish actor [Mikael Persbrandt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikael_Persbrandt) might be able to do it. He is more or less typecast for such roles.
---
### Author:  [@BDBoop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDBoop)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/113 "2012-09-13T14:46:44Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#):
>
> Fassbender is too lean for me. I’m still thinking Adam Baldwin or Chris Hemsworth.
Yes. OR Alexander Skarsgård. IMO, he would have been perfect. Height, build, and perfectly comfortable playing either good guy or villain.
---
### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/114 "2012-09-13T15:02:08Z")
Not Alexander Skarsgård. He’s too short and too thin and too little menacing looking. His father, had he been younger, would have been better.
---
### Author:  [@BDBoop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDBoop)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/115 "2012-09-13T15:07:33Z")
> [@Floater](#):
>
> Not Alexander Skarsgård. He’s too short and too thin and too little menacing looking. His father, had he been younger, would have been better.
Wrong guy.
> **[Alexander Skarsgård | Actor, Producer, Director](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002907/)**
>
> Known for: The Legend of Tarzan, Big Little Lies, True Blood
---
### Author:  [@BDBoop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDBoop)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/116 "2012-09-13T15:15:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> We’re used to see Vaughn now in comedies. But he started out as a “heavy” and played murderers in _Psycho_, _Clay Pigeons_, and _Domestic Disturbance_. So he can do menacing.
What about the other 6’5" Vince? D’Onofrio? Or is he too old.
---
### Author:  [@BDBoop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDBoop)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/117 "2012-09-13T15:20:23Z")
> [@Corcaigh](#):
>
> I saw him [the author] being interviewed on TV here [Ireland] and they were commenting on casting Tom Cruise as Reacher and how ridiculous it was to have Cruise playing a character known mainly for his hulking build. Child shrugged it off, but I got the impression he had no say in the matter and there was nothing he could do about it, so he was going along with it.
>
> This was part of Child’s argument for Cruise, that there aren’t any 6’6" actors in Hollywood
>
> Was my first thought when I heard Child’s [above mentioned] comment.
There are many in the 6’4", 6’5" range. It’s ridiculous to lead with that, then wind up at “and therefore, we’re going with that big box office shrimp over there.”
---
### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/118 "2012-09-13T15:30:19Z")
> [@DxZero](#):
>
> Actually I did a little IMDBing the other day just on that subject to compare Cruise’s estimated budgets vs. domestic gross.
Why are you limiting this to domestic gross?
You point out that MI:3 was “a slight loser domestically”, but it made $397 million on a $150 million budget. You say LAST SAMURAI was “a slight bomb domestically”; it made $456 million on a $140 million budget. You figure the domestic gross for MINORITY REPORT was “not a huge number” – but $358 million is a big fine return on investment from a $102 million budget.
And after “skipping Tropic Thunder and Magnolia because he wasn’t the main star”, you ding him for ROCK OF AGES and LIONS FOR LAMBS, where he wasn’t the main star. You rightly count KNIGHT AND DAY against him as a bomb – in that it made _ **only** _ $261 million on a $107 million budget – but you don’t fully factor in just how big a hit GHOST PROTOCOL was, earlier this very year, clearing $694 million on a scant $145 million budget.
Near as I can tell, that’s the biggest gross _ **ever** _ for a movie with Cruise as the star: bigger than the half-billion-plus WAR OF THE WORLDS brought in, bigger than the half-billion-plus MI:2 brought in, you name it, he topped it.
---
### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/119 "2012-09-13T15:30:57Z")
> [@BDBoop](#):
>
> [Alexander Skarsgård - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002907/)
That cute face could never be appropriate on Jack Reacher. 😛
---
### Author:  [@BDBoop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDBoop)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865/120 "2012-09-13T16:37:59Z")
Sure it would. That’s who I pictured when I read the first book last week.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865.md?page=5)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-wtf/623865.md?page=7)