EXCLUSIVE: Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy’s popular CIA hero, is heading to television with a TV series from former Lost duo of co-showrunner Carlton Cuse and writer Graham Roland, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes and Paramount TV. There has been a lot of interest in the project, with multiple outlets bidding.
Conceived by Cuse and Roland based on Clancy’s novels, I hear the show is not a direct adaptation of the books as were the firsts Jack Ryan movies but a new contemporary take on the character in his prime as a CIA analyst/operative using the novels as source material. Cuse and Roland executive produce alongside Platinum Dunes’ Bay and Bradley Fuller.
I hear Paramount TV first teamed with Platinum Dunes for the project, extending Transformers director-producer Bay’s relationship with the studio on the feature side where he has a first-look deal. Cuse, a big fan of the books, and Roland then came on board and developed their idea for a Jack Ryan TV series.
In the novels, Ryan, medically retired following a helicopter crash, works as an investment broker before taking a position at the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Naval Academy and later joining the CIA, rising through the ranks to Deputy Director and eventually becoming President of the United States.
Unlike some classic literary/screen characters that are identified with the actor who has portrayed them, thus making a TV adaptation challenging to cast, the Jack Ryan movie franchise has seen four different actor take on the role — Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and, most recently, Chris Pine. That would make it easier for a new Jack Ryan to be introduced to TV audiences.
Paramount’s Jack Ryan feature franchise spans 5 movies — from The Hunt For Red October starring Baldwin in 1990 to Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit in 2o13. It has glossed almost $1 billion worldwide.
Cuse has 3 series on the air that he co-created and executive produces, A&E’s Bates Motel, FX’s The Strain and USA’s upcoming Colony. The prolific writer-producer has a first-look deal at A+E Studios for his Carlton Cuse Productions. In features, he wrote this summer’s tentpole San Andreas.
Roland and Cuse hit it off while working together on Lost and have stayed close, with Roland recently serving as co-executive producer on Cuse’s A&E drama series The Returned. Roland also wrote Mile 22, Peter Berg’s upcoming movie starring Mark Wahlberg.
Since Paramount TV’s launch two years ago, series adaptations of movies from the Paramount library by the TV production company have yielded two series orders, for Minority Report at Fox and School of Rock at Nickelodeon, and two pilot pickup, for Shooter at USA and Urban Cowboy at Fox. Additionally, a Galaxy Quest series is in development at Amazon.
Platinum Studios’ TV slate includes Starz drama Black Sails and TNT’s The Last Ship.
Cuse, Roland and Bay are repped by WME.
Last edited by Walts Ghost; 09-23-2015 at 12:51 AM.
In a competitive situation, Jack Ryan, Paramount Television’s hot TV series project based on Tom Clancy’s popular CIA hero, has landed at Amazon. I hear the streaming service has given a series commitment to the drama, from the former Lost duo of co-showrunner Carlton Cuse and writer Graham Roland, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, Skydance Media, as well as Paramount TV. Everyone’s intention is to go straight-to-series on the project, which would be done based on completed scripts and a bible.
Amazon is considered a suitable home for Jack Ryan as the online retailer sells Clancy’s books as well as the Jack Ryan movies on DVD and is the streaming home for most or all of them, creating opportunities for a multi-platform push for the show. Paramount TV already is in business with Amazon, developing a series adaptation of the Paramount movie Galaxy Quest.
Conceived by Cuse and Roland based on Clancy’s novels, I had heard that the show is not a direct adaptation of the books as were the first Jack Ryan movies but a new contemporary take on the character in his prime as a CIA analyst/operative using the novels as source material. Roland executive produces with Cuse and Lindsey Springer of Carlton Cuse Prods. as well as Platinum Dunes’ Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form and the movie franchise’s producer Mace Neufeld.
I hear Paramount TV first teamed with Platinum Dunes for the project, extending Transformers director-producer Bay's existing relationship with the studioon the feature side where he has a first-look deal. Cuse, a big fan of the books, and Roland then came on board and developed their idea for a Jack Ryan TV series.
I hear Roland was drawn to the project in part by his background as a veteran US Marine. Roland actually was inspired to became a TV writer by watching a season of Lost on DVD while deployed in Iraq on one of three combat tours. He taught himself to write using Lost as a guide, wrote a spec that landed him an agency representation (WME) and ultimately got a writing gig on Lost where he and the show’s executive producer/co-showrunner Cuse hit it off. The two have stayed close, with Roland recently serving as co-executive producer on Cuse’s A&E drama series The Returned.
In the novels, Ryan, medically retired following a helicopter crash, works as an investment broker before taking a position at the U.S. Naval Academy and later joining the CIA, rising through the ranks to Deputy Director and eventually becoming President of the United States.
Unlike some classic literary characters that are closely identified with the actor who has portrayed them, thus making a TV adaptation challenging to cast, the Jack Ryan movie franchise has seen four different actor take on the role — Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and, most recently, Chris Pine. That would make it easier for a new Jack Ryan to be introduced to TV audiences.
Paramount’s Jack Ryan feature franchise spans five movies — from The Hunt For Red October starring Baldwin in 1990 to the 2013 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit starring Pine, which Skydance co-produced. It has grossed almost $1 billion worldwide.
Cuse has three series on the air that he co-created and executive produces: A&E’s Bates Motel, FX’s The Strain and USA’s upcoming Colony. The prolific writer-producer has a first-look deal at A+E Studios for his Carlton Cuse Productions. In features, he wrote this summer’s tentpole San Andreas.
Since Paramount TV’s launch two years ago, the company has landed multiple series and pilot orders for series adaptations of movies from the Paramount library as well as original concepts. Those include series Minority Report at Fox, and the upcoming School Of Rock at Nickelodeon, Alienist at TNT, based on the book, and spy thriller Berlin Station at EPIX; as well as pilots Shooter at USA and Urban Cowboy at Fox.
Platinum Dunes’ TV slate includes Starz drama Black Sails and TNT’s The Last Ship. Skydance’s series portfolio includes Grace And Frankie on Netflix and Manhattan on WGN America.
Cuse and and Bay are repped by WME. Roland, who also wrote Mile 22, Peter Berg’s upcoming movie starring Mark Wahlberg, is repped by WME, Rain Management Group and Bloom Hergott.
Last edited by Walts Ghost; 09-30-2015 at 04:44 AM.
Too bad it's on Amazon only. I'd love to check this out. I haven't enjoyed a Jack Ryan movie since Clear and Present Danger. The character is a perfect fit for a television series.
Some good choices there (I don't recognize others), but no doubt they'll probably cast an actor much younger than most of those guys.
Victor Webster (Continuum), Eric Close (Without a Trace), Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs), Noah Wylie (ER), Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy), James Badge Dale (24), Matt Bomer (White Collar), Jason O'Mara (Terra Nova) and Timothy Olyphant (Justified).
Noah Wylie (ER), Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy), Jason O'Mara (Terra Nova) and Timothy Olyphant (Justified).
Yeah, those were the only ones I knew. I think they could all be good "veteran" Jack Ryans, but it sounds like this is going to be about a young(er) Jack Ryan. I'll be curious to see who they cast, though.
Yeah, those were the only ones I knew. I think they could all be good "veteran" Jack Ryans, but it sounds like this is going to be about a young(er) Jack Ryan. I'll be curious to see who they cast, though.
I agree some of those actors would be great if they were going to make another couple of films and you need a lead who has at least some "face recognition" with audiences, however as said I think for a TV show they will want someone younger mid to late 20s ? who they could grow the show with over many years assuming it is a success.
The Office actor John Krasinski is heading back to the small screen, albeit as a character who is very different from the lovable Jim on the long-running NBC sitcom. Per Deadline, Krasinski is attached to star in a Jack Ryan TV series from Lost co-showrunner Carlton Cuse and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, which has just landed at Amazon Studios with a series commitment. While it’s not official just yet, the intention is to go straight-to-series with this Tom Clancy adaptation, with Krasinski’s casting sealing the deal for this thing to move forward.
The Jack Ryan character has been portrayed onscreen by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and most recently Chris Pine in a series of feature films that are mostly quite good. Baldwin’s turn only encompassed The Hunt for Red October, but Ford’s run of Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger was terrific. Affleck got his turn in the forgettable 2002 redo The Sum of All Fears, and Pine lead the recent reboot Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, which failed to muster much of anything.
And so Paramount turned its focus to television, with Cuse and writer Graham Roland conceiving of a story for the CIA agent that’s not an origin tale, but instead picks up during his prime as a CIA analyst. There’s no one Clancy book serving as the main inspiration for the Jack Ryan TV series, but all of the novels will inform the show as source material.
Krasinski most recently made his action debut in the Bay-directed 13 Hours, so it appears he’s keen on moving into the espionage genre with Jack Ryan. He’s a swell actor and seems like a fine fit for the character, so I’m all for it.
Cuse, meanwhile, continues to be one of the busiest people in TV as he currently serves as showrunner or co-showrunner on FX’s The Strain, A&E’s Bates Motel, and USA’s Colony. Jack Ryan will make it a quartet.
Krasinski is a good choice. I would have been on the fence until I saw him in 13 Hours. Although I'm a huge fan of Olyphant and think he could nail this role.
John Krasinski stars in the 10-episode drama from Carlton Cuse, Michael Bay, Paramount and Skydance.
Nearly a year after it was put in development, Amazon is moving forward with its Jack Ryan drama.
The streaming service announced Tuesday that it has officially greenlit the reboot of Tom Clancy's popular CIA books with a 10-episode series pickup.
Starring The Office grad John Krasinski as the titular character. The drama follows Ryan as he uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale. Carlton Cuse (Bates Motel, The Strain) and Graham Roland (Almost Human) penned the script and developed the project together. The drama is a co-production between Paramount Television and Skydance Television. Platinum Dunes' Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form exec produce alongside Skydance's David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross with Mace Neufeld and Lindsey Springer also on board.
"We’re excited to add the Jack Ryan global franchise to our robust originals pipeline,” Amazon Studios head Roy Price said. “Our customers will enjoy a compelling adaptation of the action-packed spy thriller book series, further raising the bar for the quality level of storytelling that has made Prime Video a leading destination for content.”
The drama marks yet another reboot for the small screen as broadcast, cable and streaming outlets alike look for recognizable IP in a bid to cut through the clutter in a scripted landscape featuring more than 400 originals. There have been five Jack Ryan films with the character previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine. The drama landed at Amazon last year following a multiple-network bidding war.
For Cuse, Jack Ryan comes as the Lost grad is prepping the final season of A&E's Bates Motel, poised to make his directorial debut in the upcoming third season finale of FX's The Strain and has the sophomore run of USA Network's Colony due in 2017.
Bay, meanwhile, has the upcoming fourth and final season of Starz's Black Sails as well as TNT's The Last Ship.
For Paramount TV, Jack Ryan becomes the studio's latest title from its film library to be adapted for the small screen. It joins CBS All Access' Star Trek, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events as well as previous efforts including Fox's Minority Report, Nick's School of Rock as well as USA's twice-delayed Shooter.
At Skydance, Jack Ryan joins a roster of TV projects that include WGN America's Manhattan, Netflix's Grace and Frankie, Altered Carbon as well as Spike's Red Mars.
With the role in Jack Ryan Krasinski, repped by WME, will make his return to series regular television following his nine-season run on NBC's The Office. He also exec produces Spike's Emmy-nominated series Lip Sync Battle.
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