'Jack Reacher 2' Update: Ed Zwick Might Write, Direct Sequel Of Tom Cruise Film

Tom Cruise’s action adventure film “Jack Reacher 2” is all set to have a new writing team. The recent buzz says the writing team from “The Last Samurai” -- Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz -- are in negotiations to re-write the film from Richard Wenk’s script, reported Deadline.

Cruise, who is also the producer of the film, will return as Reacher, a former U.S. Army Military Police Corps officer. The story will be reportedly be based on Lee Child's 2013 Reacher volume “Never Go Back,” which showed Reacher returning to his military base in Virginia. Conspiracies take place in relation to Reacher’s old friends and love interests.

According to Lee Child the story of “Never Go Back” has all the essentials of a successful film. “It’s almost a three-hander in terms of audience appeal: You’ve got Reacher, you’ve got the woman sidekick (Maj. Susan Turner), and then you’ve got this strong teenage girl character which they were very interested in,” he said in an interview with Empire.

Collider reported that Zwick may also direct the film. The original was directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who is unavailable for the sequel. “McQuarrie is going to be in post-production on 'Mission: Impossible 5.' He just physically can’t do it. It’s going to be a new backroom crew, which I think is good. I thought the McQuarrie movie was fantastic, but let’s see someone else’s take on it,” Child said.

The last film directed by Zwick was “Pawn Sacrifice.” Zwick is also known for writing the Jake Gyllenhaal-Anne Hathaway romantic drama “Love And Other Drugs.“

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