Tom Cruise is “too old” to feature in action movies, according to Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novel series.

Christopher McQuarrie’s 2012 film “Jack Reacher” and Edward Zwick’s 2016 sequel “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” were both based on Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” books. Neither film was a box office juggernaut, and Child stated in November 2018 that the “Jack Reacher” film franchise would be terminated and that a television relaunch based on the character will be developed.

“Cruise was reluctant. He had his own investments in it, he was going to argue against it,” Child said of his decision to discontinue the film franchise after two films in an interview with The New York Times on November 23. “It sounds extremely patronizing, but I think it’s good for him. He’s too old for this stuff.”

Lee added: ‘He’s 57, he needs to move on, transition to being a character actor. He could get another 20 years out of it. He has the talent. He’s a terrific guy, very considerate, good fun.’

Cruise would be replaced in a television revival of ‘Jack Reacher,’ according to the 65-year-old, since he lacks “physicality.” In the novels, Reacher is portrayed as being six feet and five inches tall, whereas Cruise is just five feet and seven inches tall. He stated: “Cruise, for all his talent, didn’t have that physicality. I really enjoyed working with Cruise. He’s a really, really nice guy. We had a lot of fun. But ultimately the readers are right. The size of Reacher is really, really important and it’s a big component of who he is.”

Child spoke with The Times about the Top Gun star’s height. He said, “I’ve never seen him in bare feet. He wears Timberland boots with a decent sole on them. [But] he is absolutely average height. About 5ft 8in. All actors are small.”

He went on to say, “There’s something about the camera that favors smaller people. Daniel Craig! He’s about 5ft 7in. He’s a tiny guy. I was on a plane with him once. The camera loves certain things. Small people with large heads. Anne Hathaway’s eyes. Julia Roberts’ mouth.”

The decision to stop the Jack Reacher franchise was surprising given that the first two films did okay, grossing $218.3 million (£168 million) and $162.1 million (£126 million) respectively.

Following the international success of “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” Paramount Pictures confirmed that two further installments in the long-running action franchise will be produced. The seventh and eighth “Mission: Impossible” films will be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously helmed “Rogue Nation” and “Fallout.” The sequel to “Top Gun,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” will be released next summer.