Keira Knightley lands the female lead in 'Jack Ryan'

Here's the latest run of films for Keira Knightley: Last Night, A Dangerous Method, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Anna Karenina, and Can a Song Save Your Life? It's been a long time since she was a part of any blockbuster franchise films, not since Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. But after taking a lengthy break, she's about to dive back in for a major pay day, beating out Evangeline Lilly and Felicity Jones for the female lead in Paramount's Jack Ryan reboot.

After being named as the frontrunner a week ago, THR reports a deal has nearly been struck to have Knightley play Caroline, the future Mrs. Jack Ryan opposite Chris Pine. Jack Ryan has already been seen in four other adaptations of Tom Clancy's novels, with the most recent being 2002's The Sum of All Fears.

This version, which seems to be going under the title of Jack Ryan, will present the ex-Marine during his time working as an analyst in Moscow, and discovering a terrorist plot to destroy the U.S. economy. Kenneth Branagh is directing, with Kevin Costner circling a role as Ryan's mentor, and James Earl Jones looking to reprise his part as Admiral Greer. So far so good, and considering all the time and effort Paramount has been putting into making Jack Ryan a priority, we could be looking at a franchise to stand up against Universal's "Bourne" movies. Knightley makes for a smart choice as she's clearly the most recognizable name by far, has a pretty good action movie background, and is young enough to stick around for the long haul.

Filming gets underway next month, so expect more casting to be announced soon.