After author Lee Child conceded that Tom Cruise, who portrayed him in two films, is too short, the action hero Jack Reacher is getting a relaunch for the small screen with a new actor in the starring role.

Jack Reacher is based on a series of 23 books in which the protagonist is depicted as a physically intimidating former military man with “hands the size of dinner plates.”

Child claims that “tens of thousands” of fans protested after the 2012 film Jack Reacher – which also featured Rosamund Pike – and the 2016 sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back that Mission Impossible actor Cruise, 56, was unfit for the part.

When the TV series was announced, Child told BBC Radio Manchester, “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. So what I’ve decided to do is – there won’t be any more movies with Tom Cruise. Instead we’re going to take it to Netflix or something like that. Long-form streaming television, with a completely new actor.”

“And I want all those readers who were upset about Tom Cruise to help me out – participate in choosing the right actor for the TV series. We’re rebooting and starting over and we’re going to try and find the perfect guy.”

Christopher McQuarrie directed and adapted the first Jack Reacher film, which was released in 2012. Cruise received largely good reviews and grossed $218 million (£167 million) worldwide at the movie office.

Cruise first appeared as “Jack Reacher” in Christopher McQuarrie’s 2012 thriller, which was written and directed by the same man who helmed the critically acclaimed “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” Despite favorable reviews, the franchise never achieved the same degree of fan interest as Cruise’s Ethan Hunt films.

The sequel, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” was directed by Edward Zwick and published in 2016. The global box office for Cruise’s second Reacher film was lower than his first.