With the Star Trek sequel in post-production Paramount can now make use of Chris Pine for their Jack Ryan reboot. Kenneth Branagh (Thor) will both direct and star as the villain, and according to Deadline the studio is currently eyeing a late-2013 release.
Joining Pine and Branagh will be Keira Knightley as the female lead and love interest, and Kevin Costner as William Harper, the character who recruits Jack Ryan to the CIA. What’s interesting about Costner’s character is that he’s also set to appear in another Clancy adaptation from Paramount, Without Remorse.
The studio is planning some Samuel L. Jackson/Nick Fury-type crossover with William Harper appearing in both movies, and potentially headlining his own. Paramount wants Tom Hardy to lead Without Remorse, but nothing is confirmed just yet. Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) is rewriting the script with plans to direct.
The reboot will be an original prequel story that follows Ryan before he joined the CIA. Branagh’s villain, Viktor Stazov, is a financial wiz who, with the help of the Russian government, masterminds a plot to devalue American currency and thus destroy the U.S. economy.
Chris Pine will be the fourth actor to play Jack Ryan, and will follow in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck. Pine and Keira Knightley are signed for multiple movies, so if all goes well Paramount will have a new franchise on their hands.
