#Jack Reacher Trailer Elicits Mixed Reactions for Lead Actor Alan Ritchson

“#Jack Reacher Trailer Elicits Mixed Reactions for Lead Actor Alan Ritchson”

One of the most anticipated upcoming streaming shows is Prime Video’s Reacher. After two major motion pictures starring Tom Cruise, fans of the Lee Child book series have been looking forward to a more accurate portrayal of the character. Amazon recently released a trailer for the new version of Reacher, showing off the new screen version of the character. Watch the Reacher trailer below.

Now that a more book-accurate portrayal of the character has been revealed for the upcoming show, the reactions have been mixed. There are many who feel that Alan Ritchson, who has been cast to take on the role of Jack Reacher for the Amazon show, truly embodies the feel of the character. Meanwhile, there is as vocal an opposition that feel like he is miscast in the role. There are some who would have preferred Tom Cruise return for more time as Reacher.

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While Cruise is a fine actor, it cannot be denied that he is small when compared to Jack Reacher, who is described by the author as 6 feet 5 inches and 250 pounds of muscle. With Ritchson, the new series has a star that is much closer in size and stature to the character. That much, at least, everyone can agree on.

The issue that some seem to have is that they feel Ritchson’s acting in the trailer lacks personality. Some internet commenters feel that, despite his lack of size, Cruise’s portrayal of Reacher will end up being superior because of his on screen presence, something they feel that Ritchson is lacking.

But the one opinion that, perhaps, matters more than anyone else’s belongs to Jack Reacher’s creator. Author Lee Child serves as an executive producer on the Amazon Studios show, and, as a result, had a direct hand in selecting Alan Ritchson to portray Reacher. In a recent article from Entertainment Weekly, Child gave his thoughts on casting Ritchson.

“This guy stepped on the screen and had this stillness and blend of menace and goodwill that is always confusing about Reacher,” Child says of his 6’3″ star. “If he’s going to be your friend, you’re very lucky. If he’s not going to be your friend, you’re very unlucky. All of that had to be transmitted just through stance, mood, look — and Ritchson had it right away.”

For his part, Ritchson took the audition seriously. In the eight months leading up to filming his audition tape for the character of Jack Reacher, he read all 24 Reacher books that were available at the time, carefully studying the characteristics of Reacher. In the same Entertainment Weekly article, Ritchson talked about wanting the role. “I’ve come to be comfortable taking on outsized roles. Reacher has incredibly large shoes to fill; he’s a bit of a superhero. [But] I’d become so invested at that point into who Reacher was, there weren’t a lot of questions for me.”

Reacher is based on the Lee Child book “The Killing Floor.” The series stars Ritchson, Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald, Kristin Kreuk, and Bruce McGill. Reacher premieres on February 4, 2022, on Prime Video.