Sorry, Jack Reacher fans, but your streaming options for the two Tom Cruise-led movies are about to be cut in half. Netflix has announced that 2012’s Jack Reacher and 2016’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back will leave the streamer at the end of the month.
Both Jack Reacher movies will leave Netflix on Oct. 31. Before Alan Ritchson stepped into the role of the former U.S. Army military policeman, Cruise played the character — who has appeared in 29 novels by Lee Child — in two well-received feature-length films. The first, Jack Reacher, was released in 2012, focusing on the titular character Reacher as he is called upon to aid in a homicide investigation involving a trained military sniper believed to be responsible for a mass shooting. The movie, based on the 2005 novel One Shot and written and directed by future Mission: Impossible helmer Christopher McQuarrie, earned favorable reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing over $215 million worldwide off a $60 million budget.
The sequel, based on the 2013 novel Never Go Back, was released in 2016, finding Cruise’s Jack Reacher going on the run with Army Major Susan Turner (The Avengers‘ Cobie Smulders), who has been framed for espionage, as the two reveal a dark conspiracy. While the action sequences and Cruise’s performance were praised, Never Go Back otherwise received mixed reviews from critics, with many considering it inferior to its predecessor. The movie also failed to do as well at the box office as the first movie, grossing only $162 million. However, Never Go Back has since become a streaming hit, appearing atop a recent Nielsen streaming ratings chart.
Could Jack Reacher 3 Ever Happen?
After the box office disappointment of Never Go Back, the Jack Reacher franchise was rebooted for the small screen, with Reacher premiering to glowing reviews and high viewership on Prime Video in 2022. McQuarrie told Empire in 2020 that he and Cruise have talked about a third Reacher movie, with the pair hoping to make it R-rated. However, McQuarrie stated that a return to the world of Jack Reacher is down on their list of priorities, with the duo instead focusing on several other projects, such as the untitled eighth Mission: Impossible movie. Edward Zwick, who directed Never Go Back, has also indicated that he would be open to helming a third Jack Reacher movie “should Tom happen to call.
Reacher Renewed for Season 4
While the film franchise fizzled out after two entries, the small screen iteration of Jack Reacher is showing no signs of slowing down. Earlier this month, Prime Video announced that it had renewed Reacher for a fourth season while confirming that Season 3 would debut in 2025. “Reacher has become a phenomenon that continues to resonate with our global customers beyond our wildest expectations and we are thrilled to bring the series back for an additional season,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios. “We are looking forward to more action and adventure from the immensely talented team behind the series including Nick Santora, Alan Ritchson, Lee Child, Skydance and CBS Studios.”
Jack Reacher fans will be unable to stream the two Cruise-led movies on Netflix beginning Nov. 1, 2024.
