Tradecraft: Cruise Reaches For Reacher

I have to admit, I haven't read any of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels.  My impression is that they're not really spy thrillers, but do tread fairly closely to the genre.  And I know Child considers Ian Fleming, Len Deighton and John Le Carré to be influences on his work.  I've read one spy story that he penned for Otto Penzler's excellent anthology of "international thrillers," Agents of Treachery, and thought it was excellent.  It left me really wishing that Child would pen a straight-up spy novel, but also intrigued to check out his Jack Reacher books.  As I say, I don't know much about Reacher, but one thing I do know is that he's tall--very tall.  Which is why it's a little surprising that Deadline reports that notoriously short spy star Tom Cruise is in final negotiations to play the part!  According to the trade blog, "Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions are negotiating with Tom Cruise to star this fall in One Shot, a thriller based on the Lee Child book series about former military policeman-turned drifter Jack Reacher. Christopher McQuarrie will direct his script." Apparently Child himself is fine with the casting.  (You probably would be too if one of the biggest movie stars in the world wanted to attach himself to your property.  Ian Fleming, no doubt gleeful at the prospect of his famous character being filmed, once wrote that he'd be fine with Jimmy Stewart playing 007 if it meant Alfred Hitchcock would direct!)  "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way," Child reasoned.  Hm.  I can't really comment, but perhaps some avid readers of this series will chime in with their views on this casting.  Have your say below.