Moviemaker Rob Reiner is hoping Jack Nicholson's retirement won't stick because he wants to see him back on the big screen.

Reiner, who directed the movie veteran in A Few Good Men and The Bucket List, was stunned to learn of Nicholson's plans to walk away from the limelight, and he is hoping the actor reconsiders.

The filmmaker says, "I don't know why Jack has done that. I feel bad because obviously he's one of the great film actors of all time, so I would hope at some point he comes back.

"Jack is a real artist. He paints and he's really good, so maybe he felt the films were not being as artistic as he would like them to be."