Tom Cruise had his Jack Reacher replacement ready to go in 2017, but circumstances surrounding the film’s plot prevented this from happening. Over the course of his career, Cruise has become a box-office draw, mainly with action films like Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible franchise. Though Cruise’s career has seen him take on a variety of genres, he remains a consistently reliable action star.

Cruise has garnered such a reputation in the action genre through his portrayal of likable protagonists and his commitment to the physicality required of such roles. Jack Reacher‘s eponymous protagonist is another one of these characters. While they aren’t among Cruise’s highest-grossing projects, the Jack Reacher films were generally well-received at the time of their release.

Cruise’s appearance isn’t what many had imagined for the ex-military policeman created by author Lee Child, but the thrills throughout the film are infectious, and there’s no questioning the movies’ ability to entertain. Following the short-lived film series, the ideal franchise replacement for Cruise was released, but plans for such an expansion never came to fruition.

Tom Cruise’s American Made Could Have Been His Jack Reacher Replacement Franchise

Cruise Excels In The High-Stakes, Action-Packed Plot Of American Made

In 2017, Cruise led American Made, which is based on real events and combines high-stakes action with criminal scheming and a bit of dark comedy. American Made is inspired by the life of former TWA pilot Barry Seal. After Barry is caught smuggling drugs for the Medellín Cartel, he avoids jail time by making a deal with the DEA, working as their informant.

In the action genre, Cruise is most known for playing a charismatic hero of sorts, but American Made sees him in a different light as an action star. The plot centered around drug smuggling and shady government operations sets up a grittier story for Cruise to lead, and American Made, while being packed full of action, isn’t as reliant on Cruise’s death-defying stunts to draw audiences in.

The high-stakes plot of American Made also sets the foundation for several more adventures to be explored in succeeding movies. Barry is a gifted individual who, as made clear in American Made, is of great use to the DEA and CIA. As a result, Barry’s dodgy relationship with the agencies could have been further fleshed out in sequel films.

The threat of the Medellín Cartel that looms throughout American Made had the potential to be the focus of a sequel, increasing the tension and stakes for Barry, while inevitably providing audiences with more gripping action sequences. Barry, both the real-life man and the dramatized character portrayed by Cruise, is a fascinating figure that ultimately never had a chance to be further explored.

Why American Made Couldn’t Become An Ongoing Franchise For Tom Cruise

Due To Barry’s Fate, American Made Had No Choice But To Stop After One Movie

American Made‘s attachment to real-life events produced a stranger-than-fiction plot that entertained audiences, but also limited the film from expanding into a franchise. Like most films based on true stories, American Made takes a handful of creative liberties, altering details about Barry’s life and creating entirely fictional characters and plot points for the sake of entertainment.

Still, American Made‘s ending and the fate of Barry Seal remain true to what happened in real life. Due to Barry’s involvement with the cartel, the character suspects they will retaliate at any moment, and sure enough, they do. Barry’s death ultimately hinders the possibility of American Made growing into a series of films like Jack Reacher, which is especially unfortunate considering critics’ and audiences’ positive response to the former.

American Made isn’t without its missteps, but it’s hard to argue against the film’s entertainment value or the abundance of untapped potential in its premise that would have made for a compelling franchise. In comparison to Jack Reacher, Cruise is much more suitable to portray someone like Barry, and the absurd details of his real life give room for American Made to have more fun —something the Jack Reacher movies failed to do.

Another Jack Reacher Replacement Fell Through For Tom Cruise

The Mummy Similarly Set Up Cruise For Another Fun Action Franchise

After the series of Jack Reacher films wrapped up, Cruise had another potential franchise waiting for him. The Mummy franchise, previously led by Brendan Fraser, was rebooted in 2017, with Cruise acting as the lead this time. The Mummy was intended to be the start of the Dark Universe, a series of connected movies based on the Universal Monsters characters.

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One Of Tom Cruise’s Most Impressive Box Office Feats Was Also One Of His Few Career Failures

Tom Cruise has been box office gold for years now, but many forget about this one box office hit that was nevertheless a surprising failure.

However, The Mummy wound up being a failure and received negative reviews from critics, which put an end to any plans for the upcoming Dark Universe. Being a fun, action-adventure flick, The Mummy, by all means, should have been the perfect film for Cruise to shine as the charismatic action star audiences know him to be.

Instead, The Mummy makes little to no use of Cruise’s talent or pull in the genre. Indeed, The Mummy as a whole fails to come together neatly, with neither Cruise nor the film’s supporting cast being able to save The Mummy from its poor character development and muddled storytelling. The Mummy‘s failures and American Made‘s narrative limitations prevented Cruise from ever replacing the short-lived Jack Reacher series.

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  Jack Reacher
  

  
  

  7/10

  Release Date

  December 21, 2012
  

  Runtime

  2h 10m

  Director

  Christopher McQuarrie

  Writers

  Christopher McQuarrie

  Sequel(s)

  Jack Reacher 2

  
  

  
  

  
  

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  American Made
  

  
  

  6/10

  Release Date

  September 29, 2017
  

  Runtime

  115 Minutes

  Director

  Doug Liman

  Writers

  Gary Spinelli