Jack Ryan is best known asthe protagonist ofTom Clancy’spolitical action-thriller novels, making his first appearance in the 1984 novelThe Hunt for Red October. The character has enjoyed a long history in media going back the last several decades, with his television debut in the popular seriesTom Clancy’s Jack Ryanin 2018, starringJohn Krasinskias the iconic hero.Jack Ryanhas become one of Prime Video’s top three most-watched series around the globe. However,a Jack Ryan-themed television seriesnearly happened several decades earlier! It’s time to take a deep dive intothe Jack Ryan TV series that was developed for ABC but never came to fruition!
Viacom Attempted to Produce a ‘Jack Ryan’ TV Show for ABC
It’s time to buckle up because things are about to get very confusing and messy.The Jack Ryan charactermade his debut in the 1984 novelThe Hunt for Red October. Paramount Pictures optioned the rights to the novel in the 1980s, not long after Clancy’s original book was published. But in 1987, Viacom optioned the rights for a television series for the second Jack Ryan novel,Patriot Games, which was published in the same year. This was before Viacom purchased Paramount Communications in 2004 and became the parent company of the studio. Viacom planned to co-produce thePatriot Gamestelevision series for ABC. However, according toThe Hollywood Reporter, a legal dispute arose over the use of the Jack Ryan character.
As documented by theAmerican Film Institute, Paramount Pictures argued that its contract to adaptThe Hunt for Red Octoberprovided rights over any sequel novel, including thePatriot Gamesnovel, and gave Paramount precedence for the character over ABC and Viacom. Additionally, Paramount believed a potential television series adaptation would conflict with their film iteration. The legal dispute effectively killed the planned Patriot Games television series for ABC. However, Paramount would move forward withThe Hunt for Red October, directed byJohn McTiernanand starringAlec Baldwinas Jack Ryan for the character’s cinematic debut.
The film wasa global box office smash hit, making over $200 million worldwide. Paramount would continue producingJack Ryanfilms throughout the 1990s, including two films starringHarrison Fordas Ryan:Patriot Gamesin 1992 andClear and Present Dangerin 1994. MoreJack Ryanmovies would make it to the big screen, includingThe Sum of All Fearsin 2002 andJack Ryan: Shadow Recruitin 2014. All the films were co-produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Jack Ryan Finally Makes His Television Debut in 2018
It would ultimately take aboutthirty years after the false start from Viacom and ABC Studiosfor Jack Ryan to finally make the transition to the small screen.A new vision for the characterfinally came to fruition in 2018 with TomClancy’s Jack Ryanfrom writersCarlton CuseandGraham Roland. John Krasinski became the fifth actor to portray the role of Ryan in the show, which quickly became a global streaming hit. The program, which depicts the CIA analyst in present times, has since run for four seasons and 30 episodes, concluding its run in July 2023. However, while the series has effectively ended,the story is slated to continue in an upcoming new feature film, as reported byVariety.
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John Krasinski Will Return as Jack Ryan in an Upcoming Movie
The good news is that whileTom Clancy’s Jack Ryanconcluded with its fourth and final season last year,Krasinski is set to reprise his eponymous role in an upcoming motion picture, currently in development at Amazon MGM Studios. The new film will feature the next stage in the evolution of the media franchise.Wendell Piercewill reprise his role as CIA station chief James Greer, andMichael Kellyis also in talks to reprise his role as Mike November.Andrew Bernstein, who served as an executive producer and director of Season 2 of the television series, is attached to direct the feature, and Krasinski is producing the feature withAllyson SeegerandAndrew Form.Details on the project are slim so far, but the film will be an extension ofthe top-rated Prime Video series.
This will be the first time anactor portraying Ryan plays the character on TV and graduates to the feature film level. It will be very interesting if the upcoming feature sparksa new series ofJack Ryanmovies. However, it’s unknown whether the new movie will be released directly to Amazon’s Prime Video platform, or if it will receive a theatrical release as well. The newJack Ryanfeature does not have an official title or release date yet, but it’s good to know another adventure featuring the character, with Krasinski reprising the role, is around the corner.
All four seasons ofTom Clancy’s Jack Ryanon Prime Video in the U.S.
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Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
