Prolific actor/director Kenneth Branagh is currently in negotiations with Paramount to direct a upcoming fifth Jack Ryan film. Chris Pine is already set to play the classic Tom Clancy character previously portrayed by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck.
Branagh directed last year's smash hit Thor and starred in the award-winning My Week with Marilyn, earning a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Sir Laurence Olivier.
Aside from his Kurt Wallander role in the BBC crime thriller Wallander, Branagh has no upcoming projects on the horizon. Helming a Jack Ryan film might be an interesting fit for Branagh, who has pretty much stuck to period films with an occasional modern drama/thriller thrown in here and there. Previous franchise directors include John McTiernan (The Hunt for Red October), Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) and Phil Alden Robinson (The Sum of All Fears).
No word on which Clancy novel is getting adapted, but considering Pine is portraying the character, one would think The Cardinal of the Kremlin or Without Remorse are the leading suspects. Of course, the issue with Remorse is that Ryan only appears briefly. Kremlin begins with Ryan as a 35-year-old.
We know Branagh is a tremendous actor, but do you think he would be a good fit to helm a Jack Ryan film?
