‘Jack Reacher 2’ Begins Production With Tom Cruise And New Official Title
Production has begun on Jack Reacher 2, the second film based on Lee Child’s massively popular novel series, with Tom Cruise reprising his role as the former MP. With production beginning early — it was originally scheduled to begin in November — the film has also received a new title and an interesting, confirmed cast list.
According to Den of Geek, Jack Reacher 2 will now be called Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. It’s a straightforward change, one that borrows the title directly from the original source material. Back in September, the Inquisitr confirmed the release date for the movie, and this doesn’t look to be changing.
Details of the movie’s plot are yet to be revealed. Tom Cruise will be reuniting with Ed Zwick (The Last Samurai) on the movie, which is based on an original script by Richard Wenk. The script underwent recent rewrites, with Zwick and producing partner Marshall Herskovitz adding a little polish.
On directing Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Ed Zwick revealed he is looking forward to reuniting with Tom Cruise. In an interview with JoBlo back in August, he had the following to say.
“We had a great experience together. He [Cruise] is one of those actors who is unbelievably hard working and willing. And this happens to be another genre that I’ve never worked in before and I thought, okay, let’s try that. I want to keep challenging myself in different ways but it’s really good to be in the context of a relationship that you know and that you’ve had a good time with.”
As well as a new title, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back now has a confirmed cast list as it rolls into production. The main addition is Cobie Smulders, who is famous for portraying Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and loyal Canadian Robin Scherbatsky in How I Met Your Mother. According to Screen Rant, she is rumoured to be starring as the main female lead, Danika, a potential love interest for Reacher. At this moment, little is known about the character and nothing is confirmed.
Two actors who know their roles in the film are Danika Yarosh (Heroes Reborn) and Patrick Heusinger (Quantum Break). Yarosh will play a crucial part in the movie’s subplot, where she features as a young woman who helps Reacher clear his name, and may or may not be Reacher’s biological daughter. Patrick Heusinger will feature as a key antagonist in the movie — again, no actual names have been confirmed, which could differ from the source material. Aldis Hodge (Straight Outta Compton) is also on-board. Jared Bankens, Austin Hébert, Holt McCallany, Ben VanderMey, and Giovanni Silva will all feature in small roles.
In the novel, Jack Reacher returns to Virginia for a long-awaited meeting with Major Susan Turner, who is now the commanding officer at the 110th MP, the closest thing to home that Reacher ever had. The conclusion of a four-novel arc, Never Go Back is the final story, where Reacher discovers Susan has been arrested and replaced as commanding officer. When he arrives, he finds a new face behind the desk, one who quickly holds Reacher accountable for a 16-year-old homicide and fathering a child, neither of which Jack recollects. In true Reacher style, he soon starts to investigate.
Jack Reacher grossed $218 million in 2012, despite a dogged release schedule that was delayed by the Connecticut school shooting. Paramount Pictures delayed the film out of respect to the lives lost. The opening scene, which featured a sniper assassinating innocent bystanders, drew some criticism. Hopefully, the release for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back will run a lot smoother. If so, Tom Cruise could be on to another successful franchise.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back will open in the U.K. and U.S. on October 21, 2016.
[Featured Image via Paramount Pictures]
