Sam Elliott Played Jack Reacher’s Prototype 39 Years Before Amazon’s Show

by

The character of Jack Reacher was originally inspired by a tough, no-nonsense hero played by Sam Elliott. Author Lee Child began writing the Jack Reacher series after losing his job in the 1990s. A dedicated reader his whole life, he saw this as the perfect chance to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.

Lee Child’s character, Jack Reacher, has become incredibly popular over the last three decades. While Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Reacher in the 2012 film sparked debate, Alan Ritchson has been widely praised for his performance in the Amazon series. Fans can look forward to both season four of Reacher and a new spinoff series featuring the character Neagley, with Ritchson appearing in both.

The Travis McGee Character Was A Huge Influence On Jack Reacher

Amazon Prime Video

Lee Child’s Reacher books drew inspiration from various sources, including Sherlock Holmes and The Day of the Jackal. However, Child often points to the Travis McGee series as a major influence. These novels, written by John D. MacDonald, feature McGee, a unique detective who recovers stolen property for clients, taking half of the recovered value as his fee.

Travis McGee, first introduced in the novel The Deep Blue Good-by, is a Florida-based detective who lives on a boat and has a relaxed, carefree lifestyle. His past is intentionally mysterious, but he consistently defends the underdog. Though he’s more sociable than Jack Reacher, McGee shares similar abilities, particularly when it comes to fighting.

Lee Child has often stated, including in Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories, that the novels of John D. MacDonald heavily influenced his writing. He specifically drew inspiration from MacDonald’s character McGee when creating Reacher, and also used MacDonald’s plotting techniques as a model for his own stories.

Sam Elliott Tried To Develop A Travis McGee TV Series

As a big fan of the Travis McGee novels, I always get a kick out of seeing how they’ve been adapted. The first attempt was back in 1970 with Darker than Amber, starring Rod Taylor. It got some decent buzz when it came out, but it didn’t really catch on with audiences, and John D. MacDonald, the author, wasn’t a fan, which is a shame. Later, in 1983, they did a TV movie based on the 17th book, The Empty Copper Sea, and Sam Elliott took on the role of McGee. It’s interesting to see two different actors tackle the same character!

Okay, so this TV movie features Amy Madigan – you might recognize her from Weapons – and, coolly, Elliott’s actual wife, Katharine Ross. The plot centers around this guy, McGee, hunting down a man who pretended to die. Honestly, Elliott wasn’t happy with how it all turned out, and it was originally meant to be the pilot for a TV series starring him. He really let people know he was disappointed with the final product, which is always a little sad to hear.

ABC requested several alterations to the original story, leaving Elliott confused. They moved the location from Florida to California and made the character McGee more dramatic than he was in the book. Elliott was still optimistic about turning the film into a television series, but despite positive reviews and strong viewership, a series never materialized.

A Travis McGee Reboot Is Stuck In Development Hell

The film adaptation of Travis McGee wasn’t remembered for long, but around 2010, plans for a remake started gaining traction. Director Oliver Stone expressed interest in adapting The Deep Blue Good-by, and Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the lead role of McGee.

Fox initially wanted to create a series of movies based on the film, but those plans stalled when stars Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio decided not to participate. While actors like Christian Bale and director James Mangold showed interest later on, the Travis McGee movie hasn’t progressed much in the past ten years.

Since Travis McGee heavily influenced the creation of Jack Reacher, many expect a remake of the McGee series to happen eventually. Matthew McConaughey would have been a great fit for the role years ago, but actors like Glen Powell or Austin Butler might be better choices for a modern adaptation.

Read More

2026-03-12 19:08