Alan Ritchson wrote Tom Cruise a letter after replacing him as Reacher

Reacher star Alan Ritchson recently recalled penning a “heartfelt” note to Tom Cruise after replacing him as Lee Child’s hulking hero.

Cruise is to date the only big-screen incarnation of Jack Reacher. The Top Gun Maverick star filled the role in 2012’s Jack Reacher and its 2016 sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.

However, when Amazon Studios rebooted the franchise as a streaming series, Reacher, in 2022, Cruise was gone. In his place was Ritchson, then best known as Smallville’s Aquaman.

Ritchson has since expressed his admiration for Cruise – and even tried unsuccessfully to contact him.

Alan Ritchson wrote Tom Cruise a letter after replacing him as Reacher

During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ritchson revealed he drafted a letter to Cruise, however, it ultimately never landed in the Hollywood icon’s mailbox.

“[Cruise’s] taken some criticism for the role, because he doesn’t aesthetically fit the role of Reacher perfectly, according to the books,” Ritchson said. “This guy still did two movies that grossed over $300 million and doesn’t even fit. He’s brought so many eyes to this series. We would not have the success that we have without it.”

“So out of gratitude, I write him a loving, heartfelt letter, a page-long letter,” he continued. “And I give it to Don Granger, a partner of his at Skydance… [Granger] said, ‘We’re not going to give it to him. It’s a terrible idea. He’s fine with [the recasting] because he’s moved on in life. He’s moved on and you need to move on, too.'”

Jack Reacher is back in Reacher Season 2

Ritchson seemingly took Granger’s advice to heart. Leaving Cruise’s legacy in the rearview mirror, he’s currently starring in his second season of Reacher.

Reacher Season 2 is based on Lee Child’s 11th Jack Reacher novel, Bad Luck and Trouble. It sees the big guy on the trail of those responsible for murdering one of his old army buddies.

The first three episodes dropped on December 14, with the next installment due out on December 21. All told, Reacher Season 2 will run for eight episodes, wrapping up in mid-January 2024.

Reacher Season 2 Episodes 1-3 are streaming now on Prime Video, which you can sign up for here. Check out our other Reacher coverage below:

• Reacher Season 2 release schedule
• Reacher Season 2 cast: All actors & characters
• Reacher Season 2 Episodes 1-3 review: Welcome back, Jack
• Every Jack Reacher book in order
• How many Jack Reacher movies are there?
• How tall is Jack Reacher?
• Reacher Season 2: How much time has passed since Margrave?
• Reacher Season 2: Who are the 110th MP Special Investigations Unit?

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