Prime Video premiered Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan seven years ago, and we now have a new movie spinoff on the way. This TV show starred John Krasinski as the titular character, but he was far from the first to play the role. This franchise dates back to the 1980s, and it certainly looks as if Clancy’s work will continue to entertain us for years to come.
Jack Ryan was first conceived in the early 1980s, with Clancy’s first novel about the CIA analyst published in 1984. The author went on to publish 13 more novels before he died in 2013, but several other creators took over the mantle. Overall, there are now around 40 books in this franchise, along with a handful of film adaptations. However, Prime Video’s Jack Ryan was the first multi-season television series following this iconic character.
Prime Video’s Jack Ryan Brought The Character To Television
In 2018, Prime Video premiered its TV show adaptation of Jack Ryan, with John Krasinski in the leading role. There had previously been five movies in the Ryanverse franchise (as it has come to be called), all released between 1990 and 2014. Across these film projects, four factors played the titular character—Alec Baldwin in 1990’s The Hunt for Red October, Harrison Ford in Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994), Ben Affleck in 2002’s The Sum of All Fears, and Chris Pine in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014).
Krasinski’s Jack Ryan was the first version of the character on television, and it turned out to be the perfect format for Clancy’s original stories. It allowed for a wider variety of adventures around the same portrayal of the CIA analyst, which meant more cohesive development. The result of this was a truly exceptional series.
Jack Ryan Delivered Four Strong Seasons
Prime Video’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan went on for four seasons, the last of which aired in 2023. Pretty miraculously, this project remained strong through each of its installments. Critical reception was exceptional, and Rotten Tomatoes reflects a score of 80% for all four seasons. The lowest critic score was for Jack Ryan‘s sophomore season, sitting at 70%. From there, things only went uphill, with season 4 finishing strong at an impressive 94%.
This kind of consistent performance is rare for a TV show. Krasinski proved himself the perfect Jack Ryan, becoming an action star after his long stint as Jim Halpert on The Office. He has now portrayed this character longer than any of his Jack Ryan predecessors. Luckily for us, Krasinski isn’t done yet.
John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan Is Now Heading To The Big Screen
The fact that Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan finished so strongly in 2023 opened the door for a spinoff movie. The project, which will again star Krasinski, was announced in 2024 and is expected to have a big-screen theatrical release in the first half of 2026.
The new Jack Ryan movie will be directed by Andrew Bernstein and written by both Krasinski and Aaron Rabin. Returning actors include Wendell Pierce and Michael Kelly, with Sienna Miller, Betty Gabriel, Max Beesley, and more joining the cast.
As previously stated, this isn’t the first Jack Ryan movie. However, what makes this film so exciting is the fact that it has the benefit of using Prime Video’s TV show as a foundation. We already know this version of the character, and are comfortable with Krasinski’s portrayal. Though it can be assumed that audiences who have never seen the Prime Video show can still enjoy this newest Jack Ryan movie, it shouldn’t require as much exposition—we can dive right into the action. After the 10-out-of-10 TV show, we can undoubtedly expect a 10-out-of-10 film.
- Release Date
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2018 – 2023-00-00
- Network
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Amazon Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Carlton Cuse
- Writers
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Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland
