This Christmas has a present in store for fans of Tom Clancy: another actor taking a stab at playing the author’s serial protagonist Jack Ryan in the upcoming Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Ryan was previously portrayed on the big screen by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October, Harrison Ford in Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games, and Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears. This time around he will be played by Chris Pine, who is best known for filling the shoes of another much-beloved character: Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot and its followup, Star Trek Into Darkness. Pine has some big shoes to fill, but in the newly-released first trailer for the movie he seems up to the task.
Working for a boss (Kevin Costner) who seems kind of suspect, having romantic difficulties with a significant other (Keira Knightley) who is also a little suspect, and going after esteemed Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh, who is sporting a Russian accent which is definitely suspect, this new version of Jack Ryan seems to be a bit heavier on the action than he was back in the days when he hung around on a submarine going tête–à–tête with Sean Connery. The Russian accents have marginally improved, too.
This film is a prequel of sorts, taking place before Jack Ryan joined the CIA and revolving around his attempts to stop a bad guy from his plans to disrupt the American economy. In addition to portraying the dastardly bad guy, Branagh will also be behind the camera directing the film. He has proven himself more than up to that task, having recently directed the first Thor film for Marvel Studios.
With Tom Clancy’s recent passing, fans of his work will likely be clamouring more than ever to see his big screen-ready novels actually make their way to the big screen. Hopefully Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will live up to their expectations.
Get your first impressions by watching the trailer below.
