Earlier this afternoon I spotted ex-husband of Liza Minnelli and all-round good-natured plastic gargoyle David Gest getting harassed for small change by a homeless person at the Burger King counter in Euston Station. And that, friends, was a sight more exciting than the first official image of Tom Cruise as literary tough guy Jack Reacher. Just warning you.

Formerly known as One Shot, after the Lee Child novel on which it’s based, Paramount’s Jack Reacher stars Cruise in the title role, as a maverick former military policeman, and has been scripted and directed by Usual Suspects Oscar-winner Christopher McQuarrie.

There have been grumbles from fans of Reacher that Cruise is a poor physical match for the towering, taciturn Reacher, but there can be no arguing that Tiny Tom doesn’t look a hell of a lot like… well, Tom Cruise. And guess what? That’s what his Jack Reacher looks like too.

Anticipation for Jack Reacher seems pretty lukewarm, although personally I’m encouraged by the promising-sounding sniper conspiracy plotline, the involvement of McQuarrie, and also the presence of Werner Herzog in the role of primary antagonist, ‘The Zec’.

Whether that faint optimism is misplaced or not, you can find out when Jack Reacher opens in the US on 21 December.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly