Those dreaming of an Avengers/Impossible Mission Force team-up may get their wish as, according to TheWrap, Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions are in early negotiations with Cobie Smulders (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, “How I Met Your Mother”) to co-star with Tom Cruise as the female lead in Jack Reacher 2, likely playing a character named “Danika.”
The sequel will be based on Child’s most recent Jack Reacher novel, “Never Go Back,” in which Reacher (Cruise) goes back to his old Virginia military base to have dinner with a female colleague who he learns has been arrested, and soon, Reacher finds himself being charged with crimes himself. Once again, he needs to learn the truth the way that only Jack Reacher knows how, which often means violence.
Edward Zwick (Pawn Sacrifice, The Last Samurai) is signed to direct the currently-untitled Jack Reacher 2, which he will also rewrite with frequent collaborator Marshall Herskovitz from a previous screenplay by Richard Wenk (The Equalizer).
The original 2012 Jack Reacher grossed $218 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. The original film’s director, Christopher McQuarrie, will executive produce Jack Reacher 2 with Cruise and Don Granger.
Smulders co-starred in this summer’s blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron as Maria Hill, and may potentially reprise the role once again for the currently-filming Captain America: Civil War, although that remains unconfirmed. She’s currently starring in the indie dramedy Unexpected.
