I literally could not care less whether Jack Reacher turns into a new action franchise for Tom Cruise (though if it got him out of the way of Jeremy Renner in the Mission Impossible movies I would not cry salty tears). But I am very glad to see that David Oyelowo, who was awesome on Spooks, and underrated as a corporate corner-cutter in Rise of the Planet of the Apes is getting slipped into yet another movie so American audiences will get used to seeing him around:
We talk a lot about black men who should be giant stars in various tranches of Hollywood: Idris Elba, who should be a middle-aged superhero somewhere, Romany Malco, who would be a regular romantic comedy leading man if anyone had any sense, Michael B. Jordan, who is a ridiculously multi-threat talent. I think Oyelowo should play a larger part in that conversation: he’s a handsome, talented 36-year-old who is older than Jordan, who at 25 is still on the upswing towards leading man-dom, and younger than Malco and Elba, who are both in their forties. He’s right in the sweet spot, and if he keeps showing up in proximity to big stars, maybe some of the recognition will start to rub off. It would be lovely if someone in Hollywood had plans to do something with those opportunities, build them towards something, rather than permanently siloing him as a white hero’s enabler or obstacle.
