Tom Cruise movie may be shot in Pittsburgh
Share with others:
The producers of a Tom Cruise movie appear poised to shoot the action thriller in Pittsburgh this fall, after "The Dark Knight Rises" packs up its capes, cowls and cat-suits and moves to its next location.
"One Shot" is based on the 2005 Lee Child thriller of the same name about an ex-military investigator, Jack Reacher, who heads to the heartland to investigate the deaths of five people. Mr. Cruise is to play Reacher.
A former military sniper is accused in the killings, but the open-and-shut case against him may not be so airtight or the shooter could be part of something larger or more sinister. Reacher starts to piece together the evidence on his own in an attempt to find out the truth.
The novel largely is set in the state of Indiana in a small, quiet city ("it sounded like they rolled up the sidewalks at 9 o'clock") with a river. It's unknown if Pittsburgh would cheat for some other place or play itself.
Christopher McQuarrie, an Oscar winner for "The Usual Suspects" screenplay, will direct and write the script. He was one of the writers of "Valkyrie," starring Mr. Cruise as a World War II German officer caught up in a plot to assassinate Hitler.
Paramount Pictures is expected to release the movie in February 2013. No further details are available about casting, crew, extras or timing or length of the shoot, but filming could start in late September. The choice of Mr. Cruise to play Reacher has drawn criticism or, at minimum, raised eyebrows.
The character in the book stands 6 feet 5 inches and weighs as much as 250 pounds -- making him far taller and much heavier than the actor -- and has dirty blond hair and icy blue eyes. He is more than a physical giant, though, using tools such as logic, deduction, footwork and intuition to puzzle out crimes.
The novel "One Shot" opens with a chilling scene in which a sniper armed with a rifle picks off people in a public plaza on a Friday just after 5 p.m., ultimately killing four men and one woman by shooting each in the head within seconds.
Lee Child, the pen name of British-born author Jim Grant, has written 15 Jack Reacher thrillers, all of which have been optioned for major motion pictures and sold millions worldwide. The 16th book will be published Sept. 27.
First Published August 9, 2011 12:00 am
