It’s official: Tom Cruise will no longer play Jack Reacher

After two rounds playing the ex-military cop Jack Reacher on the big screen, Tom Cruise is officially out of the franchise. British author Lee Child, who created the character, told BBC Radio that he has decided “There won’t be any more movies with Tom Cruise… Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality.”

This echoes some fan complaints that go back to the first news of Cruise’s casting back in 2011, which he admitted bothered him. In the books, Child describes Reacher as 6’5″ with hands the size of dinner plates. Not exactly the ideal role you’d pick for Tom Cruise, who stands 5’7″ tall. Despite his lack of height, Cruise won over some speculative fans and helped turn the films into a respectable action series.

“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. The size of Reacher is really, really important and it’s a big component of who he is,” Child explained.

Now, rather than recast the role in the current franchise, Child wants to move to a streaming service to tell long-form stories with an all-new actor so fans can get a fresh start with the character. “And I want all those readers who were upset about Tom Cruise to help me out – participate in choosing the right actor for the TV series. We’re rebooting and starting over and we’re going to try and find the perfect guy,” added Child.

The first Jack Reacher film, released in 2012, made almost $220 million globally and received mostly positive reviews, despite the initial backlash behind Cruise’s casting. The sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, came out four years later and failed to wow critics or box office tallies.

Meanwhile, Cruise will be returning to a role that helped make him a global sensation: as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. The anticipated follow-up will hit theaters sometime in 2020.

Who do you see in the role of Jack Reacher? Is there a hulking behemoth out there who can do the role justice? Let us know in the comments below!