Joe Manganiello – who was on many followers’ lists to play Jack Reacher because of his peak and bodily similarity to the character depicted within the books – truly tried out for the sequence and nearly received the function, with Manganiello’s crew speculating that Tom Cruise had one thing to do with him not getting the half.
In his new e book “Bloodlines,” Manganiello describes attempting out for the Amazon sequence in January 2020, first assembly with Don Granger, then president of options at Skydance Media.
“We talked for an hour and a half,” Manganiello wrote. “We mentioned the unfavourable reactions to Tom’s peak and the truth that they had been solely assembly actors over six ft two inches tall for the present.”
Within the books, Reacher is six ft 5 inches tall. Cruise is notably shorter, standing 5 ft seven inches tall, inflicting backlash from followers due to the distinction within the character’s physique.
Manganiello says Granger advised him, “I’ve to say, sitting right here throughout from you, you’re the closest factor to Jack Reacher that I’ve ever met in my complete life. I imply it. You appear to be Reacher that’s described within the books. You’re educated. You’ve gotten his easy intelligence.”
The “Magic Mike” star moved on to a 19-page dialogue studying that reportedly impressed showrunner Nick Santora a lot that he started writing the remainder of the season with Manganiello in thoughts. He additionally claims that Granger, within the meantime, advised him, “You are our first alternative throughout the board.”
After a display screen check, her brokers additionally advised her that Skydance proprietor David Ellison and the books’ creator Lee Little one “had been delighted with my efficiency.”
Nevertheless, when the selection of casting Manganiello was introduced to then-Amazon MGM Studios head Jen Salke, issues took a flip for the more severe.
Manganiello writes that he heard Salke was livid about being overlooked of the casting course of and says she “felt like she was being dragged right into a ultimate choice made by a gaggle of largely male producers that she did not really feel part of.”
Salke, he mentioned, was searching for “Smallville” star Tom Welling.
After one other display screen check through the COVID lockdown, Manganiello realized he did not land the function, main his crew to take a position wildly that Cruise had blocked him due to a previous relationship the “Mission Inconceivable” actor had with Manganiello’s then-wife, “Trendy Household” star Sofia Vergara.
“Jen wouldn’t allow them to go together with me,” he wrote. “She by no means gave a cause and by no means communicated with anybody to clarify why, which gave rise to my crew’s concept that maybe Tom Cruise, who was listed as an govt producer as a result of he had starred within the earlier movie diversifications, may have probably overstepped and vetoed my alternative due to Sofía.”
Cruise will not be listed in IMDB as an govt producer of the sequence. Issues could have modified as soon as the sequence began. Representatives for Cruise didn’t reply to request for remark.
The “Mission Inconceivable” star and Vergara had been collectively briefly in 2005 and Manganiello claims they broke up due to Scientology.
“She mentioned she broke up with him years in the past after he refused to take the E-meter check on the L. Ron Hubbard Movie star Middle for Scientology, so perhaps he would not wish to need to cope with this affiliation with me in perpetuity,” he wrote.
“It was simply hypothesis,” he concluded. “Nobody advised me what occurred.”
Representatives for Vergara didn’t reply to request for remark. Vergara and Manganiello married in 2015 and separated in 2023. The divorce was finalized in 2024.
The accusation in opposition to Cruise was not totally sudden.
Manganiello mentioned he met with director Ed Zwick for the function of the villain within the sequel to the 2016 movie, “Jack Reacher: By no means Go Again.”
He claims Zwick advised him he appeared an excessive amount of like Reacher “is described within the books. Huge, tall, bearded, jerky,” and requested him “How tall are you?”
When he responded, “Six foot 5,” he claims Zwick responded, “Good. Tom won’t ever let that occur. However you had been nice.”
The function within the Amazon present finally went to Alan Ritchson. The sequence is at present filming season 5 and has been renewed for a sixth season.
The e book comes out tomorrow, October 13, from Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster.