Tom Cruise Needs to Make It Up to Alan Ritchson After ‘Reacher’ Star Got Slammed for Writing a Heartfelt Letter to the Icon

Tom Cruise appeared as Jack Reacher in Christopher McQuarrie’s action thriller, Jack Reacher, in 2012. Author Lee Child’s novel One Shot is based on is based on the movie, which follows a non-contactable former US Army Major MP investigator called upon to help in a homicide investigation.

Upon release, the movie received a positive response from the critics and the audience, but the same cannot be said about the fans who read One Shot. A sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, was released in 2016. Alan Ritchson plays the same character for the TV series on Amazon Prime, and before he took over the character, he reached out to Cruise in the most heartwarming way, which did not work in his favor.

Alan Ritchson recalls writing a letter to Tom Cruise for taking over the role of Jack Reacher

Actor Alan Ritchson portrays Jack Reacher in the television series titled Reacher, created by Nick Santora for Amazon Prime Video. Upon release of the first season of Reacher, the series got massive attention and positive reviews from the critics and the audience. It was reported at the time that fans appreciated that the show was a faithful adaptation of Lee Child’s novel.

A critic at the time mentioned that Ritchson’s Reacher is ‘far better’ than Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher movie. The actor in his interview with THR in 2023 was asked about his view on the success of the show, to which he said,

Being that this was fueled by a series of books that sold over 200 million copies, there were high hopes for the show because obviously, we knew that there was already an audience there. But the fact that it was breaking records within 48 hours of premiering was unprecedented and wholly unexpected.

The actor noted that there is something for everyone to love on the show, adding that there is no real demographic. He added that Reacher invites everyone in who just wants to have a good time and watch a fun story.

Ahead of Ritchson taking over the role of Jack Reacher, he wrote a letter to Tom Cruise, who had played the character in 2012 and again in 2016. Ritchson, upon his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, shared,

I wrote Tom a letter. I wrote him a heartfelt letter. Because here’s the thing: I know what you know. He’s taken some criticism for the role because he doesn’t aesthetically fit the role of Reacher, according to the book. This guy still did two movies that grossed over $300 million and does not even fit.

Ritchson further shared that Cruise’s movies brought so many eyes to the series, and they wouldn’t have the success they did without it. So, to express his gratitude, Ritchson wrote Tom Cruise a letter and recalled that he gave it to Don Granger because he wanted Cruise to know that he was grateful for him passing the torch. But Granger told Ritchson,

We’re not going to give it [letter] to him. It’s a terrible idea. He’s fine with it. Because he’s moved on in life. He’s moved on. And you need to move on, too.

Reacher actor revealed his letter never reached Tom Cruise, but he decided to still tell Cruise that he’s grateful for him passing the torch. Fans believe that even though Don Granger never gave Tom Cruise the letter from Ritchson, there is no way the Top Gun: Maverick actor does not know about the letter.

They noted that if Tom Cruise acknowledges the sincere gesture made by Ritchson, it would give both of them some brownie points. Also, it’s just nice to acknowledge someone who wrote you a letter, right?

Author Lee Child admits readers were right to not approve of Tom Cruise’s casting in Jack Reacher

Even though Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back received positive comments and were successful at the box office, Cruise’s casting as Jack Reacher was met with criticism. Speaking to The Independent, the author said,

I thought the first movie in particular was excellent. It was a crisp, hard-edged thriller. Working with Tom was a pleasure and a privilege—he’s a really smart guy, he’s a smart filmmaker, and he’s fun. But you cannot escape the fact that Reacher is a huge guy.

He continued that it is a component of his entire approach to the world and the world’s approach to him. Reacher is huge, implacable, and scary, and for all Tom Cruise’s ability to get the internals of Reacher out, he is not huge, and he is not scary. Child added that the readers were upset about it, and he thinks they were upset about the right thing.

Talking about Alan Ritchson’s casting as Jack Reacher, Lee Child said that the actor was born to play Reacher, and maybe he knows it. Fans have highly appreciated Ritchson for his work as Reacher for the series. The third season of Jack Reacher released on February 20, 2025, and will conclude on March 27, 2025.

Jack Reacher is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.