Chris Pine talks Jack Ryan

Tom Clancy’s popular character Jack Ryan will grace the big screen once again in the upcoming fifth installment in the series, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit starring Chris Pine as the covert CIA agent. Shadow Recruit takes Jack Ryan to Moscow, where he must save the world from a potential catastrophe. Unlike the previous four installments in the series, Shadow Recruit is an original story that focuses on Clancy’s famous character. While the previous films were onscreen adaptations of Clancy novels, Shadow Recruit is a completely new story written by screenwriter Hossein Amini. The film also stars Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner. Director Kenneth Branagh also makes a brief appearance onscreen as a villain.

Chris Pine has some big shoes to fill, with a list of accomplished actors having previously portrayed Ryan’s character, including Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. Pine recently sat down for an interview with Screen Rant and talked about his thoughts on the Jack Ryan character: “He’s comfortable with his books. He’s more comfortable putting a puzzle together.” Pine also talked about playing a hero in a blockbuster series: “I think with the Ryan character, the challenge is to… You have to excitingly move the plot forward.”

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit opens January 17.