Last summer it was revealed that Amazon Studios had landed the rights to develop a TV series based upon the Jack Reacher character in Lee Child's best-selling book series, and now, the project has been officially greenlit. Nick Santora, best known for his work on Prison Break, Breakout Kings, and Scorpion, will pen the series, as well as serve as executive producer and showrunner. The first season will be based upon "The Killing Floor," the first novel in the Jack Reacher series.
"Lee Child has created an incredible character and world; it will be the goal of every writer, producer, actor, executive and crew member to capture the essence of Mr. Child’s books – and luckily Lee has been there, and will continue to be there, to help guide us along the way in this series. He is the pulse of Reacher," said Nick Santora in a statement. After serving in the U.S. Army as a Major in the Military Police Corps, Jack Reacher left the service and began roaming the United States taking odd jobs and investigating suspicious and dangerous situations. The series spawned nearly two dozen novels, an assortment of short stories, as well as two feature-film adaptations starring Tom Cruise. Lee Child, who will be executive producing the Jack Reacher series, added, "It's been great so far, but really, the fun starts here. By now I know these guys, and Reacher is in the perfect hands, believe me." In a statement, Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said:
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books series is a global phenomenon with one of entertainment’s most well-known heroes, and a perfect fit for Amazon Studios’ slate of bold, character-driven series. We look forward to expanding the of the Jack Reacher universe and bringing more thrilling action to our Amazon Prime Video audience.
Now, this brings the question of who should play Jack Reacher. Lee Childs had previously said that they would like to cast a physically appropriate actor in the role, who is described in the novels as standing 6'5" with "a six-pack like a cobbled city street" and hands "the size of dinner plates." Although Childs enjoyed working with Cruise on the movies, he now agrees with those who deemed the actor to be physically unsuitable. "I really enjoyed working with Cruise. He's a really, really nice guy. We had a lot of fun. But ultimately the readers are right," said Childs. "The size of Reacher is really, really important and it's a big component of who he is. The idea is that when Reacher walks into a room, you're all a little nervous just for that first minute. And Cruise, for all his talent, didn't have that physicality."