Lee Child says Tom Cruise was initially involved in Jack Reacher only as an investor through Cruise/Wagner Productions, rather than as its intended actor or producer. Cruise decided to play Reacher after reading Christopher McQuarrie’s screenplay, which had been developed over six years and impressed both Child and Cruise.

The casting was controversial because the novels portray Reacher as physically enormous, unlike Cruise. Nevertheless, Cruise’s star power helped introduce the character to a much wider audience, with eight older Reacher paperbacks reportedly entering the US Top 10 shortly after the first film’s release.