Chris Pine is to be the latest actor to play Jack Ryan – and the project has a new writer. Plus: could the planned shoot date knock back the start time for the Star Trek sequel?
Here's what we know so far. Paramount is working away on rebooting the Jack Ryan movie franchise, and has cast Star Trek actor Chris Pine in the title role. He follows, therefore, in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck.
We also know that the film is working under the name of Moscow, that it isn't based on a Tom Clancy novel (not that those Ryan films that were based on his books were particularly reverential to them), and that Phillip Noyce (who helmed Patriot Games and Clear And Present Danger) was apparently offered the chance to direct once upon a time, but went off to make Salt instead.
We now know that Paramount is looking to shoot the new movie either later this year or early next. This would seem to indicate that shooting on the next Star Trek movie, to which Pine is, of course, committed, would edge closer to the middle of next year (it had been suggested that the new Trek flick would be before cameras towards the start of 2011).
Furthermore, Paramount has hired a new writer to work on its latest Ryan movie. Heat Vision reports that Anthony Peckham has been brought in to do further work on a script that Adam Cozad had been scribbling away at. Peckham penned the screenplay for Invictus, and among his other credits are Sherlock Holmes and The Book Of Eli.
His job, according to Heat Vision, is "to prep the project for take-off".
We suspect we're looking at a 2012 release date for Jack Ryan's return. Ordinarily, it's the kind of project that you'd imagine could live in the James Bond November release slot, but given that Paramount already has Mission: Impossible 4 slated for December 2011, summer 2012 - alongside the Star Trek sequel - seems more likely.
Here's the story at Heat Vision.