While the debate will continue to swirl about how 5' 7" Tom Cruise will portray the much taller, bulkier Jack Reacher as described in the books by Lee Child remains to be seen, from day one Paramount has viewed "One Shot" as the start of a potential series of films. And now with a swift title change, it makes that a bit easier.
"One Shot" will now be known as "Jack Reacher," the character who leads 16 books by the author. We presume this opens the door to future installments that will take on a "Mission: Impossible" style treatment in the vein of "Jack Reacher: [Insert Book Title Here]." And considering the name is already a brand itself — the Lee Child books are all stamped A Jack Reacher Novel — it's actually a smart move. Granted, movies with names for titles don't always fare well (hello "John Carter" and "Simon Birch" among others) but this is one with a built-in audience and recognition, and you can believe that by the time the movie hits in December, Paramount will be making sure everyone knows exactly who he is.
To refresh your memory, the story centers on an ex-military drifter who gets caught up in a conspiracy and cover-up involving a man accused of killing five people. Oh, the best part? Werner Fucking Herzog is playing the villain. Christopher McQuarrie adapted the book and directed the film which features a pretty first rate cast all around including Robert Duvall, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, Rosamund Pike, Jai Courtney and more.
"There are some ass beatings in this. They’ll see that it delivers what I love about the Reacher series: the visceral action, those ass beatings and the humor of Lee Child’s novels. And the women are fantastic," Cruise recently told Playboy.
We'll see if Cruise can deliver the goods when the film opens on December 21st. [THR, image via Collider]