We've Probably seen the Last of Chris Pine as 'Jack Ryan'

Does anybody even remember Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit came out earlier this year? The film got kind of a raw deal from Paramount, getting booted from its original release date and dumped into January because of The Wolf of Wall Street. The attempted reboot of the Tom Clancy franchise didn't perform well at all, with only $50M domestic and $135M worldwide, and now star Chris Pine says we probably shouldn't look for any sequels...at least not with him in the starring role. While talking to Moviefone about the Disney musical Into the Woods, he had this to say about playing Jack Ryan again...

Pine: "No. I don’t think it made enough money for that to happen. That’s one of my deep regrets, that we didn’t totally get that right. It’s a great franchise and if it’s not me then I hope it gets a fifth life at this point. It’s just great. I love the spy genre. I hope it’s done again and with a great story."

It doesn't help that the film, which was directed by Kenneth Branagh and co-starred Keira Knightley, wasn't very good. Reviews were lukewarm at best, and it didn't seem like the perfect fit for Pine who has yet to prove he's got the kind of star power to lead a franchise. His best performances have all been in ensembles such as Star Trek, Into the Woods, Horrible Bosses 2, and Joe Carnahan's indie comedy Stretch.  It took more than a decade for another Jack Ryan film after Ben Affleck's The Sum of All Fears flopped, and who knows how long it will be before we get another one. Don't forget, this was going to be the start of a series of movies that would have included a spinoff of Kevin Costner's character.  All of those projects appear to be off the table now.

Read More

Review: 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit', Starring Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, and Keira Knightley

Kevin Costner was courted to play Jack Ryan way back in The Hunt for Red October, the first film starring Tom Clancy's analyst. We all know how that story goes though, since they cast Alec Baldwin for the role instead because Costner was busy with Dances With Wolves. Ironically enough, Costner finally gets to be in a Jack Ryan movie, albeit not playing the title character himself. 

Kenneth Branagh brings us the reboot of the franchise with a little bit into Jack's background, a little bit of action, a little bit of suspense, and nothing that is ultimately memorable or new to fans of Ryan's stories except for the more modern global economy and readjustments to geopolitics.


Jack (Chris Pine) is an economics student working on his PhD. in London when 9/11 happens. Eighteen months later, he's a marine and flying with two others over Afghanistan when his helicopter is shot down. Ryan sustains a back injury that leaves him recovering and in physical therapy for eight months. It's there that he meets Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley), a med student studying to be an eye doctor, but is helping Jack get through physical therapy in order to complete her credits. It's there where he also meets William Harper (Kevin Costner), a man who works for the CIA and has read Jack's dissertation and other writings about economics, geopolitics, and whatnot. He convinces Jack to go to work for the CIA as a spy compliance officer on Wall Street, but only after he finishes his PhD. 

Ten years later, Jack is where you expect him to be after his conversation with Harper. There, he uncovers some shady information about stocks and Russia and other financial and economic things that I can't begin to explain to you in any competency. Basically, a man named Victor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh) intends to crush the U.S. dollar after staging a terrorist attack to bring down the U.S. economy. To try and get more information, Harper sends Jack to Russia to meet with Cherevin, but things get complicated when they try to have Jack killed because they suspect he knows about their plot and when Cathy, now his fiancé, shows up in Moscow because she suspects Jack is having an affair. 

The movie's faults don't lie with the cast so much as it does with the script, which has a decent build up, but kind of crashes its way to its finale with a bad guy who's too wooden in motive and personality to really ramp up the stakes. That's not to say that there aren't good suspenseful moments in the film. Because, if anything, Kenneth Branagh can play creepy and threatening pretty well, but there are too many layers missing for it to be credible. 

A lot of people hold Jack Ryan to high esteem. The guy is extremely intelligent and accomplished, so it's easy to understand why. He's a former marine, a PhD., a CIA analyst, and later a professor. But, Jack Ryan the character (at least in the films) isn't an overly exciting person. Some will argue that this is Chris Pine's fault, but the same can be said for when Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck all played Ryan in the past. It's not the actors, but the character himself that falls a little on the stale side of things. 

What is good about this film, however, is that it doesn't throw aside Jack's intelligence. Director Kenneth Branagh (he's pulling double duty) describes Jack as the "every man," which means he doesn't have James Bond's license to kill, nor Jason Bourne's very honed fighting skills. He's just a guy who tries to do good things and finds himself in not-so-good situations. 

The film does have a good cast. Chris Pine fills in the Jack Ryan shoes pretty well. Although as an actor, he's much more entertaining to watch when he has more to do. And this role doesn't give him much in the way of great dialogue, but he can play the action hero really well. He does have great chemistry with Keira Knightley and they're endearing together. 

Their relationship is one of the stronger aspects of the film and there should have been more of it because they are some of the best parts to watch. Their relationship is very equal and much more layered than in the previous films, which is why the personal attack later in the movie is more... well, personal. Knightley has a pretty good American accent, too. And while she falls briefly into the damsel-in-distress category, she's brave enough to want to help Jack out, and that says a lot about her character. 

Kevin Costner gives the tough love in this film and keeps Jack from falling off the proverbial thin line he's walking. He's the type of guy who sees a mission through to its end and doesn't just sit around at his desk giving advice. And Kenneth Branagh has seemingly mastered his Russian accent and plays the baddie like its second nature even when there isn't anything deeper to his character besides being semi-threatening. There's a hint of something else, but we never get any of what's behind it. 

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is much less boring than the previous Jack Ryan movies and much less Jason Bourne-esque than a lot of people assumed it would be, it's ultimately very mediocre. There isn't anything amazing about it or its characters. And while the story tries hard to make us all care that some Russian guy is attempting to bring down our economy, it lacks a more fluid execution and suspense build up. 

It has more action and hyped suspense, and while they do well to portray Jack's nervousness and fear at being in a situation out of his depth, the entire film just feels a little underwhelming. If you enjoyed the previous movies though, then you'll probably like this one as well. It has its semi-entertaining moments, but it's nothing we haven't seen before and is really more of the same when it comes to the typical action/suspense films.

Read More

Kevin Costner Gets Lethal in New 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit' Clip

In anticipation for its release this week, Fandango has posted a new clip from the film Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. This one's only thirty five seconds long, but gives a little bit more of a glimpse into Kevin Costner's character. Costner's seen here being Jack's eyes as the older man shoots the lackeys gunning for Jack. Costner's character is extremely accurate and competent in doing his job, so it'll be interesting to see all his characteristics play out on the big screen. 

You can check out the clip below! 

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit hits theaters January 17 and also stars Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, and Kenneth Branagh. 

Synopsis: The story follows him from 9/11, through his tour of duty in Afghanistan, which scarred him forever, and into his early days in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the modern CIA where he becomes an analyst, under the guardianship of his handler, Harper (Kevin Costner). When Ryan believes he's uncovered a Russian plot to collapse the United States economy, he goes from being an analyst to becoming a spy and must fight to save his own life and those of countless others, while also trying to protect the thing that's more important to him than anything, his relationship with his fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley). 

Read More

'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit' Features Keira Knightley in One of Two New Clips

In a little over a week, Paramount will regale us with the tale of Jack Ryan. Except this will be a newer, more modern version of Jack Ryan and more of an origin story for the well-known Tom Clancy character. It'll be the first movie that isn't based on any of Clancy's previous books about the CIA analyst and Chris Pine will be the fourth actor to step into the character's shoes. 

Two new clips from the film have been released, each dealing with two different but probably important aspects of the plot. The first one is titled "Couples Therapy" and, as you guess, is relationship-based. Ryan's fiance Cathy (played by an American-accented Keira Knightley) is angry with him after finding out that he's been lying to her about who he works for the last three years and Kevin Costner reminds them that this isn't couples therapy. Knightley pulls off a pretty good American accent, too. 

The second clip sees Costner's character, who plays an almost-mentor/handler to Pine's Ryan, let's Jack know that he's no longer just an analyst anymore, but operational. The second clip is pretty straightforward, but everyone may not be as they seem. Especially if the character posters are anything to go by, which you can view here and here. 

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is directed and also stars Kenneth Branagh and hits theaters January 17. 

Read More

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.

Read More

Sure Shots: Robert Zemeckis; Kevin Costner; Alexander Payne

* After years away from live-action flicks, Robert Zemeckis is making his return with the Denzel Washington-led drama, Flight. Next up, he'll take over directing Taking Flight, and no, it isn't any kind of sequel or follow-up.  Zemeckis will now take over the project from David Gordon Green(Pineapple Express), who has apparently dropped it, likely to full concentrate on his Suspiria remake. Based on Bob Friel's proposed book,  Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw, the film follows Colton Harris-Moore, a young criminal who started stealing cars and boats at a young age, teaching himself how to fly in order to evade capture. At the age of 18 he escaped a halfway house and kicked his criminal activities up a notch, earning the nickname the "Barefoot Bandit" because on occasion he committed his thefts without shoes on. Earlier this year he was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison. Dustin Lance Black(Milk) is writing the script.[THR]

* Let the comeback of Kevin Costner continue! Already shinin' after the success of Hatfields & McCoys, along with his upcoming role in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, Costner has lined up two more projects. Costner is in talks to join Paramount's Jack Ryan reboot, which has Chris Pine starring as a younger version of the Tom Clancy character. Costner would play a mentor to Ryan, similar to the Admiral Greer character James Earl Jones played in Patriot Games. Actually, Jones is expected to reprise his role as Greer in the prequel, which is pretty cool in and of itself. Kenneth Branagh is directing, and hopefully we'll get a title for the film soon.

Luc Besson and his Europacorp studio are also looking at Costner for the role of a dying assassin in Three Days to Kill, a film which Besson is co-writing along with Adi Hasek. Sounding like The Professional with a ticking clock subplot, the story centers on the ailing killer who wants to reconcile with his daughter before he dies, while also tackling one final assignment. Apparently, McG(This Means War) is circling the directing gig, which means the movie may suck something fierce. [Deadline]

* Years in the making, Alexander Payne(The Descendants) is finally going to see his road trip comedy, Nebraska, headed to the big screen. The film has officially been greenlit, and will star Bruce Dern(Big Love) and Will Forte(MacGruber) in the two lead roles, that of an aging, hard-drinking dad who goes on a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his underachieving son to claim a sweepstakes prize he may not have actually won. Budgeted at $13M, this is a pretty big opportunity for both Dern and Forte, especially in the wake of Payne's recent Academy Award success. The script comes from Bob Nelson, with a recent polish by Payne. No word on when filming begins, but Paramount's plan is to have it ready by next year's awards season. [Deadline]

Read More

Keira Knightley may cozy up to Chris Pine in the Jack Ryan reboot

Paramount has been trying to get a reboot of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan character off the ground seemingly forever, with the boring as dry toast Chris Pine in the pole position. No doubt looking to snatch some of the mature audience who dig The Bourne Identity flicks, the studio recently hired Kenneth Branagh as the new director(replacing Jack Bender), and now they appear to be closing in on a female lead.

Deadline reports that the sexy Keira Knightley is the frontrunner to take on the role, which would be that of Ryan's future wife, Caroline. In the previous films she's ben played by Anne Archer, Bridget Moynihan, and Gates McFadden(!!!), but Knightley brings something different to the table I hope the script will allow for. Knightley has far more action experience than any of the previous actresses, having starred in Domino and the Pirates of the Caribbean films, so I hope this isn't a role that has her by the kitchen counter the whole time. Evangeline Lilly(Lost) and Felicity Jones(Like Crazy) are also being considered for what is planned as as franchise. That means whoever wins will be keyed up for at least two more movies.

Formerly titled Moscow, the untitled film has a younger Jack Ryan working as an analyst in Russia, before getting swept up in a terrorist plot that threatens the United States economy.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Read More

Kenneth Branagh to direct and play the villain in the Jack Ryan relaunch

If you need something done, best do it yourself, right? In the case of Paramount's planned relaunch of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series, they've been struggling along for years trying to get this thing rolling. With Kenneth Branagh stepping in to take over the directing reins, what was needed now was a proper bad guy to square off against Chris Pine. They didn't have to look far, as Branagh has decided to just take on the role himself.
Formerly titled Moscow, the untitled film sees a younger Jack Ryan in his early days working in Russia and uncovering some sort of evil plot. A number of writers have attempted to tackle the script, starting with Steve Zaillian and most recently David Koepp. Unlike the other adaptations, this one isn't based on any particular Clancy novel.
Chris Pine bores me to tears, and to be honest I've never been much of a Jack Ryan fan. To me, if they're going to take a stab at bringing the franchise back, a more charismatic lead is necessary. We know Branagh has the goods to make for a complex villain. [Variety]
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPadIi

Read More