Action hero Jack Reacher will get a reboot for the small screen with a new actor in the lead after creator Lee Child admitted Tom Cruise, who played him in two films, is "too short".

In Child's books, Reacher is described as 6feet 5inches tall with hands the size of dinner plates. Cruise is 5'7".

"Cruise, for all his talent, didn't have that physicality," Child told BBC Radio.

Readers had complained about the Hollywood actor's suitability to play the imposing former major in the US military police since his casting was announced in 2011.

The author said a deal was signed last week to make a new streaming show.

Praising Cruise for his talent, Child admitted "ultimately the readers are right. The size of Reacher is really, really important and it's a big component of who he is.

"The idea is that when Reacher walks into a room, you're all a little nervous just for that first minute. And Cruise, for all his talent, didn't have that physicality.

Child has decided there would not be any more movies with Tom Cruise. "Instead we're going to take it to Netflix or long form streaming television, with a completely new actor," BBC quoted Child as saying.

The creator also urged readers to help him choose the right actor for the TV series. "We're rebooting and starting over and we're going to try and find the perfect guy."

The first Jack Reacher film, directed and adapted by Christopher McQuarrie, debuted in 2012. With mostly positive reviews and it fetched $218 million at the global box offices.

But the last "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" grossed only $162 million.

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