Just yesterday we were chatting about Chris Pine, and I said that the Star Trek actor could easily become the next Matt Damon if he chose the right roles. Well, ladies and Fandango freaks – it looks like Pine will take another step closer to the "Next Matt Damon" status I predicted as Variety tells us the guy will star as CIA analyst Jack Ryan in Paramount's reboot of the popular action franchise that once starred Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck as Ryan in films like The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of All Fears. The character himself is based on a series of Tom Clancy novels.
It's been known for awhile now that Paramount was looking to go younger with their Ryan reboot, with names like Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling circling the role for months. Now that Pine is in talks to take on the part, look for the studio to try to create their own Bourne-esque franchise – one that will most likely kick the action up a notch from what we've seen in previous Ryan-related films.
This is the second Paramount project in two days that Pine's name has been attached to, which means the studio obviously thinks they have "The Next Big Thing" on their hands and they don't want to let him go. Aside from the next Jack Ryan movie, Pine will also star in The Art of Making Money (about a petty thief-turned-master counterfeiter), and he will return as Captain James T. Kirk in the next Star Trek sequel.
What do you all think of Chris Pine? Is he the next Matt Damon?
