Reacher May Have Spoiled Its Cruise Easter Egg

Reacher Season 2 and the Cruise Movie Problem

The latest episode of Reacher may have already contradicted its Tom Cruise movie explanation. Cruise may be one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but to fans of Jack Reacher, he was still nowhere near big enough to play the titular role in the 2012 movie. The character from Lee Child's novels is a hulking beast, but when producers had a hard time finding the right combination of star power and physique - even passing on Dwayne Johnson - they decided to settle for the former. Jack Reacher is a solid action thriller tautly directed by Christopher McQuarrie, but Cruise still felt wrong for the character.

Custom image of Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher and Alan Ritchson looking down in Reacher season 2

Reacher season 2 dodged a Cruise movie problem during the second episode, revealing the events of One Shot - the book adapted for the 2012 film - happened offscreen. This was the smart choice because while it would have been interesting to see the same story retold with Alan Ritchson's Reacher, it's ultimately a lose-lose proposition. One Shot already has a great adaptation and future series of Reacher have a wealth of books to work from; a re-adaptation might risk appearing like a slight on Cruise's work as Reacher too.

Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Reacher season 2 looking stern

For extra context, Ritchson's Reacher alluded to the events of One Shot when he claimed to have run into James Barr in Indiana the year prior. In the novel, Barr is a former military sniper framed for multiple killings in Indiana, which Reacher eventually helps clear him of through a combination of detective work and punching. Reacher claims Barr can't be the one killing off the Special Investigators unit since he 'owes' him, but episode 5 'Burial' implies the events of One Shot didn't happen at all.

Jack Reacher (Alan Richtson) in Reacher season 2-3

The Conflict with Reacher's Record

Apparently Reacher hasn't been up to much since Margrave. In this outing, Reacher meets with Lavoy (Noam Jenkins), the senator who signed off on New Age's 'Little Wing' missile software. Lavoy's right-hand man Boyd (Kyle Mac) briefly runs down Reacher's military record and activities since he retired from the army. According to Boyd, Reacher 'fell off the map' after retiring, aside from events of Reacher season 1, where he was charged with his brother Joe's murder in Margrave. Lavoy is specifically interested in the fact that shortly after this charge, a major counterfeiting operation in Margrave was destroyed. Reacher season 2 has made no reference to Never Go Back so far, the book adapted for Cruise's second movie.

Jack Reacher (Alan Richtson) in Reacher season 2

One Shot opens with a crowd of innocent people being shot dead by a sniper, with Barr soon being arrested for it. As the movie depicts, Barr demands the police get in touch with Reacher to prove his innocence, and the title character does what he does best. While his role in clearing Barr's name may have been downplayed in the official investigation, there would be some record of Reacher's part regardless. The most likely explanation is that the showrunners either forgot their One Shot easter egg or decided to ignore it for the sake of emphasizing the events of Reacher season 1.

Jack Reacher (Alan Richtson) in Reacher season 2-2

The Future of Reacher and Adaptations

Reacher season 2 seemed to rule out another adaptation of One Shot with its James Barr reference, and there are at least 20 more novels it could adapt for future seasons. That said, all the show has to do is change a few character names and it could easily take another angle on the novel. The oversight with Reacher's record could mean the series isn't making its One Shot reference gospel. There are so many great Reacher books Amazon's show could cover, from one of Ritchson's favorites Die Trying to 61 Hours, so it would feel self-defeating to immediately go back to One Shot. The series hasn't necessarily slammed the door shut on going back to that story, but viewers shouldn't expect it anytime soon either.

Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher looking stoic in Reacher season 2