Chris Pine won’t be Jack Ryan just yet
Chris Pine had been set to take the reins on the Jack Ryan franchise post-STAR TREK, but with repeated production delays it looks like those plans have been postponed, if not scrapped entirely. Paramount Picutres will now shift their focus to getting the STAR TREK sequel underway, where Pine will reprise his role as James Tiberius Kirk. JJ Abrams has not yet committed to directing the project.
The Jack Ryan franchise has been a solid success for the studio, with previous stars like Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck starring as the smart Ryan. However, the latest Jack Ryan film suffered a huge creative setback when Steve Zaillian backed out of a deal to rewrite the reboot script. He previously write the 1994 Ryan film CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and did an uncredited rewrite on PATRIOT GAMES. While the studio has hired LOST'sJack Bender, he could walk away as well.
Jack Ryan was created by Tom Clancy in his bestselling book series, but this film would be a new origin story written by Hossein Amini. Though the script has been through a number of rewrites, all that’s known for certain about the script is that the launching point of the film is from a mention in The Hunt for Red October, where a terrible helicopter crash nearly killed Ryan when he was 23-years-old and leading a platoon in the US Marines. As the only survivor, the film would then follow his journey to becoming the Jack Ryan we know today.
Deadline reports that insiders say the script is fine, but since the priority is to launch a new franchise and not just a single summer popcorn flick, they’re taking their time to get the script right. You can’t start a successful film series with a weak opener.
Now that the production has be delayed, and with Chris Pine focusing on STAR TREK 2, it’s uncertain if he’ll be able to play Jack Ryan still. Depending on when the script finally feels strong enough, he could be done filming the space adventure and still work on the spy-action film.
STAR TREK 2 is projected to be released on June 29, 2012, but without even a directorial confirmation from JJ Abrams, that date is very tentative.
Commenting Rules: Comments are intended to open up the discussion to our readers about the topics at hand, and as such should be offered with a positive and constructive attitude. If your comment is not relative to the above post or is disrespectful to the authors and readers, we reserve the right to delete it. Continued abuse of our good nature will result in banishment of the offender. Additionally, if you have any burning issues to point out to the GATW crew - typos, corrections, suggestions, or straight-up criticism - please email us instead of commenting here.