Lee Child assured that Tom Cruise refused to leave the franchise and that the star's short stature was decisive for him not wanting him in that character anymore.
Mission Impossible? Tom Cruise's days as an action star could be numbered, at least according to Jack Reacher author Lee Child. The writer of the series of novels whose main character is Jack Reacher, who has been brought to the screen by Cruise on two occasions, believes that the interpreter is already too old for the role.
During an interview with The Sunday Times, Child revealed his true thoughts regarding the actor and his role in the franchise, as well as his denial of the imminent end of his role in it after the second installment. “Cruise was reluctant. He had his own investment in the franchise, he was going to argue against his departure,” Child stated. “It sounds extremely condescending but I think it's a good thing for him. He's too old for this stuff. He's 57 years old, and he needs to move on and make the transition to being a character actor. He could get another 20 years in the business. He is very talented ".
Cruise starred in two Jack Reacher films adapted from Child's novels, 2012's Jack Reacher: Under Eyes and 2016's Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. In 2018, the author announced that the film franchise was coming to an end and that he was writing a television adaptation based on the main character.
Is Tom Cruise too old to make action movies? Most critics and moviegoers would say no, especially since Mission Impossible: Fallout earned unanimous praise last year and grossed $787 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing film in the franchise's 22-year history.
When Cruise was initially cast as Jack Reacher, many fans of the book commented that he was significantly shorter than the fictional character.
Last year, he revealed that while the Jack Reacher novels would be adapted into a television series, Cruise would not reprise his role because he did not have the "physique" of the character. Reacher was described in the novels as being 1.95 cm tall, but Cruise stands at 1.70 cm. The child discussed the Top Gun star's height with The Times. “I've never seen him barefoot,” he admitted. “He's wearing Timberland boots with a decent sole on them. But he is absolutely of average height. All the actors are small."
The writer also referenced Cruise's height when he announced the television adaptation. The author said that he “really enjoyed” working with the star but that he wanted to be true to the character. “Ultimately, readers are right. Reacher's size is very, very important, and he is a big component of who he is. So, what I have decided to do is: there will be no more films with Tom Cruise,” Child told BBC Radio.
“There's something about the camera that favors smaller people,” he added. “Daniel Craig is very small. I was on a plane with him once. The camera loves certain things. Little people with big heads. Anne Hathaway's eyes. Julia Roberts' mouth..."
For his part, the Oscar-nominated actor hasn't let Child's criticism stop him from being an action movie megastar. He has appeared in three action films since the Jack Reacher franchise ended, 2017's American Made and The Mummy and 2018's Mission: Impossible: Fallout. He's also set to reprise his iconic role as pilot Maverick in the upcoming Top Gun film: Maverick coming out next year and is working on Mission Impossible 7, which will be released globally in 2021.
The Jerry Maguire star still does his own stunts. While filming Mission Impossible: Fallout in 2017, he suffered a broken ankle after performing a stunt when he jumped from scaffolding onto a building. His accident caused a pause in filming, but it did not prevent him from continuing to do stunts both in that film and in the future.
