Why Dolph Lundgren Was Rejected As Jack Reacher

The Jack Reacher of Lee Child’s books sounds like Dolph Lundgren’s twin, but here’s why the action icon was never considered for a movie. The Jack Reacher described in the novels sounds a lot like Dolph Lundgren, but here’s why the action star didn’t front the eventual movie. Lee Child’s first Jack Reacher book was published in 1997, with the hulking avenger of wrongs appearing in over 25 novels and counting. The novels read like a typical mystery thriller fronted by an action hero from an ’80s action movie, with this formula being a major hit with readers. Child designed Reacher to be the opposite of many of the popular detective novels of the day, who typically had complicated names and were plagued by their troubled pasts. Reacher, in contrast, has a simple name and set of morals – and is also built like a tank.

The character is described as being 6 feet 5 inches with fair hair and weighing around 250 pounds. All of those statistics apply to actor Dolph Lundgren too, who is best known for playing Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Given Reacher’s description and action movie persona, Lundgren is who some readers pictured as the character before Tom Cruise was cast in the 2012 Jack Reacher movie. Sadly, if studios were looking to make Jack Reacher a major film franchise, the fact Lundgren hadn’t appeared in a theatrically released movie in the U.S. since 1995’s Johnny Mnemonic meant he was never going to be considered for the 2012 film.

Interesting Facts About Dolph Lundgren:

The Jack Reacher Move Needed An A-List Star

The road to making a Jack Reacher movie was a long one, with Child once stating the character’s size in the books was a problem. Few movie stars had Reacher’s proportions, with his immense build being part of the character’s appeal. It was only when the filmmakers decided to focus on other elements – such as his intellect or fighting skills – that they decided to cast Cruise. While it made sense to front a potential new series with one of the most popular movie stars in the world, Cruise’s – whose unmade third Reacher would have been R-rated – lack of resemblance to the Reacher from the novels was controversial. Had Child started the Reacher books in the ’80s, maybe Lundgren would have been the natural choice to front a film. Unfortunately, outside of Universal Soldier, most of Lundgren’s solo movies like 1989’s The Punisher or Showdown In Little Tokyo did little business upon initial release. By the end of the decade, he was mostly fronting straight to video action fare, while the bankability of contemporaries like Van Damme or Stallone was also waning entering the 2000s.

Lundgren Would Have Been A Great Jack Reacher

While the Cruise movies tapped out after only two entries, Amazon’s Reacher found Alan Ritchson to inherit the role. Both the show and Ritchson’s performance received great reviews, and Reacher will return for a second season. At this point, it’s highly unlikely Reacher and Lundgren will ever cross paths. This is a shame, because not only are they basically identical twins, but Lundgren could have been a great Reacher. While some critics have dismissed Dolph as a one-note action star, his work in the likes of Creed 2 or even John Woo’s Blackjack shows he can turn in solid dramatic work with the right material or director; plus, he obviously would have nailed the fight scenes. In an alternate universe, there should be a series of Jack Reacher TV movies fronted by Dolph Lundgren, but in this reality, that wasn’t meant to be.