How many Jack Reacher movies are there?

❘ Published: 2023-12-29T11:27:17

Prime Video

Before Prime Video’s Reacher series, Paramount Pictures brought Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels to life on the big screen – here’s how many movies are in the franchise.

While Alan Ritchson has won widespread acclaim for perfectly embodying the character described in Child’s books, the role was originally played by Tom Cruise.

As in the novels, Cruise’s Reacher is known for his drifter/nomad lifestyle, traveling through the United States with next to nothing except a passport and (maybe) a toothbrush.

But compared to Reacher Season 1 and Season 2, Cruise’s silver screen version of Jack Reacher is more dynamic and action-packed. So, how many movies did the actor star in as the character?

How many Jacker Reacher movies are there?

Tom Cruise starred in two movies based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books.

In 2012, Cruise took on the role in an action-thriller simply titled Jack Reacher. Instead of starting from the beginning, this movie adapted Child’s 2005 book One Shot. Like the series and the books, this version of Reacher is a drifter. He’s also a highly trained ex-US Army Military Police Corps investigator.

Usually uncontactable, our hero is called in to help solve a case in Jack Reacher. Traveling to Pittsburgh, he’s told to investigate a military-trained sniper accused of committing a mass shooting. The movie did well at the box office, making over $218 million off the back of a $60 million budget.

Four years later, Cruise returned for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, based on Child’s 2013 novel of the same name. Here, Reacher returns to Washington D.C. after helping the 110th US Army CID Military Police stop a human trafficking ring.

The movie takes a turn when he learns Major Susan Turner, someone he has been working with, is in trouble. She’s been framed for espionage and they go on the run to find answers and uncover a dark conspiracy. The movie was a success, raking in $162.1 million at the box office against a budget of between $60-96 million. It was also the last Jack Reacher movie Cruise starred in.

Amazon Studios reboots Jack Reacher on Prime Video

In 2019, Amazon Studios announced a streaming adaptation of the Jack Reacher series. This time, Alan Ritchson was in the lead role. Fans immediately praised the actor for perfectly embodying the imposing character Child described in his books.

Speaking to The Hindustan Times, Child said that Cruise was great as Reacher, but ultimately lacked the stature to pull off the role. “[P]hysicality is important to Reacher since he is a huge-looking and scary man, so when he steps into the room, everybody’s a little nervous,” he explained. “And I thought that Alan commanded that much better on the screen.”

Reacher Season 2 Episodes 1-5 are streaming now on Prime Video, which you can sign up for here. Check out our other Reacher coverage below: