Development for the sequel of Tom Cruise's action-thriller film "Jack Reacher" is moving with a new director and story details, Empire reported.
Released in 2012, the film is based on the novel "One Shot" by British author Lee Child. "One Shot" is the fifth novel in Child's "Jack Reacher" series of books.
According to Child, the first film's director, Christopher McQuarrie, will not be able to return for "Jack Reacher 2" due to his commitment to another film starring Cruise. The author did not reveal who McQuarrie's replacement will be.
"McQuarrie is going to be in post-production on 'Mission: Impossible 5,'" he said. "He just physically can't do it. It's going to be a new backroom crew, which I think is good. I though the McQuarrie movie was fantastic, but let's see someone else's take on it."
For the sequel, Cruise will return as the titular character. The film will be an adaptation of "Never Go Back," the 18th installment of the book series, according to Cinema Blend.
In the book, the former military cop travels to Virginia to meet up with the new commanding officer of his old unit, Major Susan Turner.
Shortly after he arrives, he learns about a distressing issue surrounding the officer. As the story progresses, he develops a relationship with a teenage girl named Samantha Dayton.
According to Child, the producers chose "Never Go Back" as the basis for "Jack Reacher 2" due to its cinematic elements, Slash Film reported.
"Any of these books, you look at them and say 'we could do that,'" he said. "But then you look at it and go, 'well, how are we going to do it? They're all very difficult.'"
"It was a thing that convinced them about which book to make for the next movie," he added. "It's almost a three-hander in terms of audience appeal - you've got Reacher, you've got the woman sidekick (Turner), and then you've got this strong teenage girl character which they were very interested in."
