Tom Cruise has been having a hell of a summer with the success of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION, but just a few years back he had a pretty solid run with his Mission director Christopher McQuarrie in JACK REACHER. Based on the Reacher series of books by author Lee Child, JACK REACHER was a decent hit for Cruise and McQuarrie, but not exactly MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE big. However, it was solid enough to warrant a sequel, which is being helmed by GLORY and THE LAST SAMURAI director Edward Zwick. Cruise is, of course, returning to the title role (with Cobie Smulders sought for the female lead), but we've yet to hear anything from Zwick on how he'll be approaching the sequel. However, our own JimmyO recently chatted with Zwick at the junket for PAWN SACRIFICE and got some info on his reason for taking it on, working with Cruise again, and how he see's the film in comparison to the first.
On working with Tom Cruise again for Jack Reacher 2:
"We had a great experience together. He is one of those actors who is unbelievably hard working and willing. And this happens to be another genre that I've never worked in before and I thought, okay, let's try that. I want to keep challenging myself in different ways but it's really good to be in the context of a relationship that you know and that you've had a good time with."
On whether or not the new Jack Reacher film will be darker or retain some of the humor from the original:
"I hope this will have both. I really think that… It's going to be a very different movie than the last one. Because there is a nice sort of anthology possibility to a continuing character like that, it's a whole different world; different set of circumstances that he finds himself in. So it will be a different movie and I hope a stand alone movie."
As a fan of the first film and of both Cruise and Zwick, I couldn't be happier that this is coming to fruition. Zwick is no stranger to action (see BLOOD DIAMOND, DEFIANCE, THE SIEGE, as well as the aforementioned THE LAST SAMURAI and GLORY) and certainly has the chops to make something awesome out of a Reacher sequel, which is said to be based on Child's "Never Go Back", the last in a four novel story arc that is described as such: "Reacher has finally made it to Virginia to meet Susan Turner. But she isn’t where she’s supposed to be and before Reacher knows it, there’s a lot that’s not quite the way it’s supposed to be."
Although Cruise may not match the physical description of Jack Reacher in the books, he's demonstrated that he's got more than enough charisma and action chops to make the role his own, while still honoring the book version persona. Plus, if he gets to kick the shit out of guys like Jai Courtney onscreen again, then don't we all win?
JACK REACHER 2 is set to shoot this fall with a release date sometime in 2016. Look for JimmyO's full interview with Edward Zwick soon!