Most of you probably know that Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan has been brought to the screen before and has been played by a few different actors. In 1990, Ryan was played by Alec Baldwin for The Hunt for Red October. Then came Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger where the character was played by Harrison Ford. Most recently it was Ben Affleck portraying him in The Sum of All Fears, which was way back in 2002.
Now the baton has passed to Chris Pine, most well known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot, who will be playing Ryan in the upcoming prequel that still holds the brilliant title of Jack Ryan.
Today, thanks to Coming Soon, we have the first shot of Pine in character as Ryan. It’s not exactly the most exciting shot, merely featuring Pine on a motorcycle, but at least we know that the film is beginning to get underway.
I’ve enjoyed the previous Ryan outings, and I do think Pine is a fine actor for the most part, but what really gets me interested in this project is Sir Kenneth Branagh‘s involvement.
Not only is he directing the film, but he will also be portraying the villain. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen him at his most evil. He got to ham it up as the villain in Wild Wild West, but also did a brilliant job of playing Iago in Othello. Hopefully his return to villainy will be worth the wait.
Jack Ryan, which also stars Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner, opens Christmas Day 2013.