John Krasinski's Jack Ryan is getting a movie! Who else is returning?

Get ready for more Jack Ryan as a special movie will continue the Prime Video series! Here’s what we know so far!

The late Tom Clancy wrote scores of books in his life but his most famous character would have to be Jack Ryan. The CIA analyst was the breakout character of Clancy’s first book and bestseller, The Hunt for Red October. Ryan soon became the prominent hero of Clancy’s novels, eventually becoming President of the United States.

Naturally, Ryan has had a few movie appearances. Alec Balwdin first played the role in 1990’s Hunt for Red October. Harrison Ford took on the part for 1992’s Patriot Games and 1994’s Clear and Present Danger. Ben Affleck was next in 2002’s The Sum of All Fears. Finally, Chris Pine played the role in the 2014 reboot Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. 

In 2018, Prime Video brought the character back in the Jack Ryan show with John Krasinski in the title role. Rather than adapt a specific novel, the series offers a fresh take on Ryan rising up from a CIA desk job to become a field operative, with each season amping up the stakes of Ryan trying to stop various crises from erupting into World War III. 

The show seemed to end with its fourth season which aired in 2023. However, TVLine reports that Prime Video is working on a new movie that will serve as a sequel to the series and may pave the way for more adventures. 

What we know about the Jack Ryan movie

So far, the only announced stars for the film are Krasinski as Ryan and Wendell Pierce as his mentor, James Greer. It’s also reported Michael Kelly is in talks to return as Mike November. Aaron Rabin, who wrote and executive produced multiple season 4 episodes, will pen the script. Andrew Bernstein (who served as an EP and director on season 2) will direct the film. 

There’s no word yet on the story. Clancy had written 16 Ryan novels before his passing in 2013. Since then, various ghostwriters have continued the work, with two more novels (Defense Protocol and Line of Demarcation) expected in 2024 and 2025. That offers a lot of story potential.

However, the series is notable for only using the Clancy novels as a barebones backdrop and crafting original stories around Ryan and others. Season 4 ended with Ryan seemingly quitting the CIA so it’s likely a new tale would have him pulled back in for another crisis. Given Krasinski’s busy schedule as an actor and director, he’s likely more keen to do a stand-alone movie than the start of a new series.

It’s also possible the show could serve as a kickoff to potential other Clancy-themed adventures. Perhaps it will introduce the other popular Clancy character of operative John Clark, who works with Ryan before going on his own missions. It’s unlikely the movie would use the idea of Ryan becoming President as that’s a big jump for the show, but still, Ryan getting back in the CIA is likely. 

There’s still more to do with casting and such before filming (again, the scheduling of the actors will be tricky), so more info is coming, but it looks like Jack Ryan fans can get excited about the character returning to the screen once more!

All four seasons of Jack Ryan are streaming on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for coverage. Follow us on X for more content!