Roving ex-army cop Jack Reacher (how come tough guys are never named Stanley or Purvis?) has settled at
The studio has grabbed Lee Child’s latest Reacher novel One Shot, which finds the long-running thriller series’ reticent hard-hitting hero investigating a former Gulf War sniper accused of killing several seemingly random civilians, and finding himself deciphering a puzzle that involves the Russian Mafia. The project will also be produced by Tom Cruise’s company, which I pray does not imply that the diminutive (and currently overexposed) superstar intends to take the role himself.
An adaptation of Child’s earlier Reacher novel Killing Floor was at New Line with a script (by CHUD chum John Rogers) and a director (SWAT helmer Clark Johnson), but according to Variety the studio let their option lapse. Damn shame, that.
Note from Nick: I’ve read all the Reacher books and the last twenty pages of this is utter perfection. The rest is decent, if you want a good Reacher book get Killing Floor, Without Fail, or my favorite Persuader. If I were in charge of this production I’d keep it smaller, get a few larger names in peripheral roles and cast Adam Baldwin as Jack Reacher.