The original Jack Reacher didn’t set any box office records but it made some decent money and was generally approved of by critics. News that a sequel was in the works came as a shock to many, but as great news to the small fan base the original was able to build. We now have some news about a new character who will be added to the mix and the actor who will be playing him.
Actor Robert Knepper has been brought on board to play the role of General Harkness. According to Deadline, Harkness is a man of power and experience who views himself as the hero and is "not afraid to do what’s necessary." Harkness is a retired general who now runs a private military firm. The sequel will be based on Lee Child’s book Never Go Back, which deals with Jack Reacher being accused of a 16-year-old murder while he was in the army. It sounds like Harkness will be playing the movie’s foil to Reacher. If he really does view himself as a hero, then he likely won’t be playing the actual villain. That role has apparently gone to Patrick Heusinger. Instead, it sounds like Harkness just chooses to view Jack Reacher as a potential "bad" guy. Classic Reacher.
Robert Knepper is an incredibly prolific film and television actor who was played numerous character roles over the years. On the silver screen, he’s been seen in the Hunger Games series, as well as the Percy Jackson films. On TV, he’s had recurring roles in the past on both Prison Break and Heroes, and none of that touches on his numerous guest shots on a multitude of TV series. He’ll also be seen in Showtime’s upcoming reboot of Twin Peaks. Knepper quite often plays the bad guy in his roles, he just has that demeanor about him, so something like General Harkness should be right up his alley.
Knepper joins a cast that also includes The Avengers co-star Cobie Smulders, as well as Straight Outta Compton’s Aldis Hodge. Edward Zwick, who directed Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai, will be taking over the directing duties from Christopher McQuarrie, who handled the job on the original Jack Reacher film. McQuarrie had to drop out of this movie, as he’s already in pre-production on Cruise's next outing in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is set to hit theaters in October. Are you excited to see Tom Cruise returning to this role, or is this the sequel that nobody asked for? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
