The Jack Ryan reboot is in full swing and shall be titled…yep… JACK RYAN. The film is to be directed by Keneth Branagh and is aiming for the last quarter of 2013, which means it will go up against Branagh’s previous franchise THOR: THE DARK WORLD. Paramount are hoping this will be the first in a trilogy of films not to mention the spin off they are hoping for too (click here to read about that).
JACK RYAN is going to be an original story that focuses on the early life and career of the character. Director Branagh had this to say:
[It’s] an original story that allows us to understand how Jack Ryan develops into a CIA analyst, before joining, and perhaps even joining, the CIA. It’s a very contemporary action thriller set in the here and now.
Jack Ryan will be played by Chris Pine, who was allowed to go and shoot STAR TREK 2 before starting JACK RYAN so Paramount must have a lot of faith in their star. I think Paramount are getting a bit ahead of themselves regarding sequels and spin-offs. After all, Harrison Ford only managed 2 Jack Ryan films with PATRIOT GAMES (1992) and CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994). Alec Baldwin managed one with the brilliant THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990), and Ben Affleck failed to start a franchise a decade ago when he starred in THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (2002).
I hope this franchise does take off now that THE BOURNE LEGACY has flushed that franchise down the toilet and I’m still wary of Bond since QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008) (although SKYFALL looks great). Pine certainly seems as though he has the capabilities to play a young and impressive CIA agent. Hey! With Pine and Hardy in the same universe they can tie this in with THIS MEANS WAR. Hello? Anybody?
Source: Collider
