By Paramount have decided to change the name of the upcoming adaptation of Lee Child’s One Shot to the name of its protagonist, Jack Reacher, because we all know how well that worked out for John Carter. It’s an awful decision for all sorts of reasons, not least because it will draw even more attention to the disparity between the literary character, a 6’5 behemoth who can cheerfully kill a man with one hand, and the actor playing him, the not-quite-6’5 Tom Cruise. The name will also be meaningless for anyone unfamiliar with the character, exactly the people for whom an exciting title like One Shot might be appealing. Fans, meanwhile, only risk being further put off by not knowing which of the nineteen books is being adapted, if they hadn’t already been by the casting of an actor whose physical appearance couldn’t be further from that of the character.
The movie opens on December 21st and co-stars Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins and, oddly, Werner Herzog as the villain. I think I’ll be giving Django Unchained my holiday cash instead.
[via Hollywood Reporter]