#Middlebury
Q: I saw that they are turning my favorite novels (“Jack Reacher”) into a TV show. However, wasn’t there a movie first? I never saw it because Tom Cruise seemed miscast in the role, but I’m willing to give the series a chance if the actor fits the part better. – E.K.
A: When Tom Cruise was cast as Jack Reacher a decade ago in the movie of the same title, fans of the novels balked. Isn’t Jack Reacher 6 feet 5, they asked? Even Lee Child, the author of the novels, expressed concern that the 5 foot 7 Cruise wasn’t what he envisioned. The movie did well enough to justify a sequel four years later, and in 2018 a deal was signed to take the character in a new direction in the form of a series.
Alan Ritchson stars in “Reacher” (Depositphotos photo)
According to TV Guide, Reacher “is fond of staring down his adversaries and letting his imposing frame do the intimidating.” Actor Alan Ritchson will now assume the big shoes of Reacher. DC Universe fans might recognize him as Arthur Curry/Aquaman in the “Smallville” series and as Hank Hall/Hawk in “Titans.”
“Reacher” will premiere on Amazon’s Prime Video beginning Feb. 4 and co-stars Willa Fitzgerald (“Younger”) and Malcolm Goodwin (“iZombie”).
As for Cruise, don’t worry, he’s still gainfully employed. He’s filming his eighth “Mission Impossible” film and has the sequel to “Top Gun” (“Top Gun: Maverick) “due out soon.
Q: Whatever happened to Bridget Fonda? I loved her in “Point of No Return” and “Singles” back in the 1990s, but she seems to have disappeared. – D.J.
A: The daughter of Peter Fonda and niece of Jane Fonda, Bridget Fonda was the It Girl of the ’90s. In addition to the movies you named, she starred in “Single White Female,” “Lake Placid” and “A Simple Plan,” among others. She had a handful of credits through the early 2000s, but that was it. She then married Oscar-winning composer Danny Elfman and has remained out of the spotlight.
Q: When did Rob Lowe start acting? The first time I saw him was in the movie “The Outsiders,” but my sister swears that he was a child actor before then. – C.I.
A: Rob Lowe was born in Virginia to a schoolteacher mother and an attorney father. While he wasn’t a child actor during his elementary grade years, he did earn his first television acting credit at the age of 15 with the sitcom “A New Kind of Family,” followed by acting roles in a couple of ABC Afterschool Specials. “The Outsiders” is where his heartthrob status began and really has never stopped. (He looks amazing at the age of 57!)
He branched out into comedy with the Austin Powers movies and returned to television drama in Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing.” He’s hinted that his favorite role was playing health nut Chris Traeger in the NBC comedy “Parks & Recreation.” You can catch Rob in the hit “9-1-1: Lone Star,” which airs on Monday nights on Fox.
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com, or write me at KFWS, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
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