Ah what a slow loco you’ve decided to ride Mr Ryan….
Believe I first heard Paramount were toying with the idea of bringing CIA analyst (and future President) Jack Ryan back to the big screen from Philip Noyce, who’d directed the film adaptations of author Tom Clancy’s “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger”, about four or five years ago when speaking to him about "Rabbit Proof Fence". Noyce, who along with star Harrison Ford, had knocked back the chance to direct “The Sum Of All Fears” (pathing the way for Phil Alden Robinson, Ben Affleck, and a rewrite that would skew the character younger), had heard that the studio was developing a Ryan film on their own – in other words, one not based on any of Clancy’s books (They owned the cinematic rights to the character, you see, so they’re pretty much able to do whatever they like with the young buck).
Noyce himself later revealed he had had a couple of discussions with Paramount about getting involved in the film, but couldn’t find the time, or give the project the attention, it so dearly needed. And though rumours persisted at the time that Harrison Ford was being courted to reprise the role he played in the two Noyce Ryan films, they were as bogus as a crumpled cheque.
Many would come and go from the Ryan film – Sam Raimi was attached at one point but, as he told Moviehole earlier this year, “I really wanted to treat him seriously and deliver a grade-A Tom Clancy thriller. But then they wanted to make Spider-Man 4, so I couldn’t make it”. And in more recent times, George Clooney and company were said to be keen on getting involved. That didn’t go much further than, well, a column in the trades.
The script, written by the uber-talented Hossein Amini, has apparently got producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura (“Transformers”) and Mace Neufeld (who produced the previous Ryan pics) a little wet. It’s solid. So solid in fact that every A-list actor in town – aside from Clooney, James Franco, Aaron Eckhart and Ryan Gosling were also said to have raised an eyebrow when learning of the gig – requested to be patched through to di Bonaventura and Neufeld at one stage.
Ultimately – and not surprisingly, considering Paramount have a woody for the young gun right now – Chris Pine, of “Star Trek” fame, got the gig.
Little has been spoken of the project since Pine’s appointment – leaving questions like ‘so is it a prequel?’, ‘is it a sequel to The Sum Of All Fears?’, ‘where will the film be set?’, and ‘When’s it happening?’ left unanswered.
Over the weekend we were present at the “Invicitus” junket, and producer shed some light on the project.
Neufeld, who again reiterated that the movie won’t be based on one of Clancy’s novels, said though the movie will be skewed younger (hence the casting of Pine) it won’t be an origin tale.
The prolific producer added that, like the previous films in the series, this won’t be an action film but a thinking man’s thriller. He also suggested that the film will open on Wall Street.
Now for those that haven’t read any of the Clancy books, Ryan actually worked for a Wall Street company in Baltimore before his appointment with the C.I.A. Therefore, one would assume this is being structured as a prequel to “The Sum of All Fears” – since Ryan was working for Langley in that one. In addition, it’d seem, despite the assurances that it isn’t, this would be an ‘’origin story’’… I mean, it’ll be ‘setting up’ Ryan… the who’s, the where’s, the why’s, the what’s….. I don’t think you can deny that. Every reboot has to, in some respect, be somewhat of an origin story.
Neufeld didn’t offer up any start dates, or hint as to when the flick might happen, just that rising newcomer Adam Cozard (“The Rules of Deception”) has been hired to do a polish on Amini’s script.
