Amazon Greenlights Jack Ryan TV Show, With Michael Bay Producing
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- October 1, 2015
- Mark Hodge
Amazon is bringing CIA analyst and reluctant action hero Jack Ryan to the small screen.
The online giant has given its full commitment to the the series which will feature the Tom Clancy character, who has a legion of fans thanks to a series of books and films.
According to Deadline, the show will be produced by Paramount Television alongside Hollywood heavy-hitters including Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes and David Ellison's Skydance Media (Terminator Genisys).
Lost writers Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland will act as co-showrunners, and will ex-produce alongside Transformers helmer Bay, Lindsey Springer, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, and Jack Ryan movie producer Mace Neufeld.
The show will not include direct adaptations of Clancy's novels, but will be inspired by his writing and stories. And there is still no word on who will play the titular hero.
The film franchise around the character has went through several permutations through out the last 25 years but has been critically and commercially successful.
The series kicked off with The Hunt For Red October (1990) which starred the then underrated Alec Baldwin opposite Sean Connery playing a Soviet Submarine captain and grossed a huge $200 million from a $30 million budget.
That prompted then box office king Harrison Ford to jump on-board and take over from Baldwin – the Indiana Jones star played Ryan twice in the terrific Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994), collectively grossing over $393 million worldwide.
The next two instalments, The Sum of All Fears (2002) and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), have been modest successes, earning $193 million and $135 million respectively.
The transition to the small screen seems like a good move for the Ryan as blockbuster cinema seems reluctant to support characters and subject matter which involve any kind nuance and subtlety.
