Christopher McQuarrie's Jack Reacher hit theaters in December of 2012 to fair reviews and a commendable, but not astounding, box office tally. The film was based on the book One Shot by Lee Child, which follows former Army MP officer Reacher as he seeks the identity of what is apparently a lone gunman.
The film received a sequel in 2016, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, in which the MP tries to assist an Army major in clearing her name of an espionage charge. Edward Zwick came in to direct that installment, which would also be the final film entry, while McQuarrie stayed on as producer.
It Was Tom Cruise's 3rd Time Working With Director Christopher McQuarrie
Before McQuarrie was directing Cruise's Ethan Hunt in later Mission: Impossible movies, the two were collaborating on Jack Reacher's first adventure. However, even before that, McQuarrie and Cruise worked on the underrated 2008 war thriller Valkyrie.
McQuarrie served as co-writer and producer on that film before then helping out with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol three years later. His big contribution to that film, itself a major turning point for the franchise, was keeping the character of Julia (Michelle Monaghan) alive.
Fans Weren't Thrilled With Cruise's Casting
In Child's book series, Reacher is a hulking man who can't enter a room without being intimidating. If he punches someone, they go through a wall. But Cruise's physical stature rubbed some fans of the series the wrong way.
Fans' biggest point of contrition was his height, specifically, according to The Telegraph. At the time, Child hopped to his defense and explained that Cruise's gravitas was enough to make him seem as tall as the description of his books' central character.
Dwayne Johnson Was In The Running For The Role
Jack Reacher wasn't written specifically for Tom Cruise, and he wasn't the only one in the running. One actor in the running, though long before Cruise signed the dotted line, was Dwayne Johnson, who also auditioned to play Jack Reacher.
However, the bulky star of Jungle Cruise was in good spirits about losing the role, saying it was "great motivation for me to always stay hungry." Johnson started starring as Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise back in 2011, and it's easy to imagine fans preferring him in that role to Reacher.
Hayley Atwell Was In The Running For Helen Rodin
According to The Huffington Post, several other talented actors were in the running for the role that ultimately went to Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike. Primarily, there were two: Hayley Atwell and Alexa Davalos.
Alexa Davalos has had roles in films like Mission: Impossible 7.
Cruise Performed His Own Driving Stunts
Like the best Tom Cruise movies, the actor took the reign of his own stunts in Jack Reacher. As series novelist Child told Yahoo!: "...He was injured from one of the car wrecks. His left hand was swollen up like a football...As a friend, I would've said 'take two days off and go to the hospital.'
Then, Child elaborated, quoting Cruise: "But he just said 'yeah, this is nothing.'" Cruise then told Yahoo! "If the camera isn't in danger, then it's not worth the shot. It was very exciting."
The Music Was Inspired By The Film Patton
Jack Reacher was the first major gig for composer Joe Kraemer, who also worked on Reacher director McQuarrie's The Way of the Gun (an ambitious early aughts misfire action film featuring Ryan Phillippe and Benecio Del Toro)
According to Cononnesonore, the George C. Scott-starring film Patton was a major influence on Reacher's reserved use of music. For instance, major action sequences in the film tend to lack any sort of significant soundtrack accompaniment. Essentially, Reacher allows the practical effects-driven action to speak for itself.
Werner Herzog Used Mick Jagger When Figuring Out His Character
Certainly one of Werner Herzog's best cameos, Zec ("The Zec") Chelovek was the head of a Russian gang specializing in extortion. A former member of the Red Army, The Zec has earned his scars, and who better than the gravely-voiced auteur Herzog to portray him?
According to IMDb, he took inspiration from Mick Jagger's swagger for his portrayal. Then, director McQuarrie told The Guardian what it was like to have Herzog in the cast: "Werner was on set that day and when we watched the playback he was the one who pointed to the chair, which was still waving back and forth on its axis like someone shaking their head, and ever the poetic mind, he said: 'The man says yesss, but the chair says noh, noh, noh.' That's Werner - he notices sh**.'" The brilliant Herzog always does, and his brief scenes in the film still rank amongst the best.
The Film's Cast Includes One Oscar Winner And Four Oscar Nominees
The cast of Jack Reacher was stacked with prestigious talent. Tom Cruise has been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar trophy for his performances in Jerry Maguire and Born on the Fourth of July (an Oliver Stone film worth checking out) as well as for Best ing Actor for his role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia.
Then there's Rosamund Pike, nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Gone Girl. Richard Jenkins and Werner Herzog also have been nominated for Oscars while one cast member, the great Robert Duvall, has won an Oscar (for 1984's Tender Mercies).
