The late, great Tom Clancy has inspired a ton of great movies, books, and video games over the years. From Sam Fisher to John Clark, Clancy's characters have combined patriotism with heroism in truly fascinating ways to as part of some dramatic adventures. However, arguably no Clancy-inspired hero has resonated with audiences quite like CIA analyst Jack Ryan. He's a character with a long cinematic history, and we can now confirm that actor John Krasinski will officially help him make the jump to the small screen to carry on that legacy.
We've just learned that Amazon has given the greenlight for the long-rumored series, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. The series has received a 10-episode order from the streaming service, and it will bring the aforementioned John Krasinksi in as the titular hero. Production on the series will apparently span the globe, with filming slated to take place in the United States, Europe, and even Africa. We've known about Krasinski's involvement in the project for quite some time, but now the series has been greenlighted, a platform, and a synopsis for us to dig into.
The overarching premise of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan seems to honor the spirit of the character while firmly bringing him into the modern era. Jack Ryan will follow the titular CIA analyst as he works to decipher a new terrorist cell's communication network, which slowly but surely immerses him in a dangerous game with this deadly organization. This should sound familiar to anyone who has seen a Jack Ryan adventure before, but feel fresh enough to take the series in a brand new direction. The Cold War may have ended, but Jack Ryan lives on in the 21st century.
John Krasinksi only represents the latest in a long line of A-list actors to take on the role of Jack Ryan over the years. From Alec Baldwin in The Hunt For Red October, to Harrison Ford in Patriot Games, as well as Clear and Present Danger, to Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears, and finally leaving off with Chris Pine in 2014's Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, plenty of talented performers have left their respective marks on the iconic role. However, with ten 1-hour episodes to work with, John Krasinksi has the potential to become the quintessential version of the character in the very near future purely based on the amount of screen time he will get to work with. He proved that he can be charming during his tenure on The Office, and he established a particular talent for action the recent Michael Bay thriller 13 Hours, so we have total faith in Krasinski to pull this off.
This isn't the first time that John Krasinksi has had the opportunity to try for a role as an iconic American hero with a basis in literature. During the early years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Krasinksi also became a frontrunner for the role of Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America before the role eventually went to Chris Evans. Although Jack Ryan and Steve Rogers are fundamentally very different characters, they both require an actor who can project intelligence, bravery, and an unwavering sense of duty, so in the end it looks like Krasinski's chops for Cap still came in handy.
CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan as new details become available to us. For now, make sure to check out our fall TV premiere guide before fall TV comes back.
