Jack Reacher 2 Will Reunite Tom Cruise and Director Ed Zwick

Paramount Pictures

Just when you forgot all about Jack Reacher and subconsciously still expected the character to be rebooted with Chris Pine in the role, Deadline has news that another installment is happening and Tom Cruise will return for the sequel. That may be good or bad news for fans of the Jack Reacher novels, of which there will soon be 20, depending on how satisfied they were with the first movie released in 2012.

Well, there will be a few changes for the follow-up. Jack Reacher director Christopher McQuarrie reunited with Cruise for this summer’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, but he won’t be back with the actor for Jack Reacher 2. Instead, Cruise gets to reunite with another filmmaker, his The Last Samurai director, Ed Zwick. Last year, McQuarrie told us he’d be willing to return if the timing was right. Apparently it’s not. But he will receive an executive producer credit.

Sadly, unless this can be one of those movies where a villain’s brother seeks revenge, we won’t be seeing Werner Herzog back for the sequel. We probably also won’t see Rosamund Pike or David Oyelowo, both of whom are now a much bigger deal than they were back then. I’m pretty sure this is the kind of series where the hero has no ties from one episode to the next.

Zwick and regular collaborator Marshall Herskovitz (he co-wrote and produced The Last Samurai, among others) will rewrite the current draft by Richard Wenk (The Equalizer), which is adapted from the 18th Jack Reacher novel, “Never Go Back.” The book sees the character return to his old military base to meet with his successor in command there (and possible romantic interest), only to find that she’s been arrested. Then he’s set up and goes on the run. It sounds like a much bigger story than the first movie.

That first movie, by the way, came in at #4 on our list of the best action movies of 2012. Ahead of Skyfall. Yeah. If you also were a fan, even if not quite that much, do check out our other list of 20 things we learned from Cruise and McQuarrie’ Jack Reacher DVD commentary.

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