Tom Clancy’s venerable CIA agent Jack Ryan is on the cusp of getting his own TV series, after Paramount Pictures pitched the concept of bringing the action hero to the small screen. Deadline has the report, revealing that although the project is yet to find a network to call its own, multiple outlets have expressed an interest in snapping it up and ordering to series.
Carlton Cuse and writer Graham Roland – best known for their work on Lost and Bates Motel – are spearheading the TV adaptation, now that the studio has quietly retracted its franchise hopes following last year’s Shadow Recruit. As such, it’s nigh on confirmed that the role of Jack Ryan will be recast, and Paramount will be looking to fill the title role left vacant by Chris Pine sooner rather than later.
In fact, through the years, the character of Ryan has also been portrayed by Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Alec Baldwin, though the jury’s still out on who Paramount has between its crosshairs for the agent’s latest incarnation.
What we do know is that the studio is pitching the Jack Ryan series as a completely fresh start, one that will not adapt any of the existing story arcs from Tom Clancy’s expansive novel series. Instead, Cuse and Co.’s rendition of the character will be introduced as a highly-skilled CIA agent operating in the modern day set a few years after the period that Shadow Recruit explored.
Truth be told, this is perhaps the best creative avenue for Paramount to take if it really is to kick-start a new chapter in the Jack Ryan lore. Michael Bay’s production company Platinum Dune is also involved in the small-screen project, with the next objective being to find a network to set up shop.
