So it’s official. First Alec Baldwin, followed by Harrison Ford, then Ben Affleck for a hot minute, and now Chris Pine. The “Star Trek” star will take over the role of Jack Ryan in the first adaptation of Tom Clancy’s book series since 2002’s “The Sum of All Fears.”
Just before this confirmation dropped—courtesy of producer Mace Neufeld—MTV News spoke with Pine about the prospect of becoming Ryan on-screen. After blowing people away with his reworking of William Shatner’s iconic take on James T. Kirk, how hard could it be to make Ryan his own? No easy feat, Pine said, but undoubtedly less daunting than his “Star Trek” challenge.
“I think it’s because Mr. Shatner’s portrayal of the character was so specific, [Jack Ryan] is a different beast,” Pine explained. “If you were to poll people, I think eight out of 10 people could tell you what role Shatner made famous. I think a lot fewer people could make that specific association between those actors and Jack Ryan. As great a job as those actors did, it’s just a different deal.”
Is there one Ryan –- Baldwin in “The Hunt for Red October,” Ford in “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger” — that stands out for Pine as the finest take on this CIA superstar? “No hyperbole, I like ’em both so much,” Pine said of the first two Ryan actors. “They’re both huge heroes of mine. But I might prefer Baldwin doing the Canteen Boy sketch on ‘SNL’ the most!”
Prior to Neufeld’s confirmation, Pine wasn’t privy to many details about the still-untitled Ryan project. He did confirm that filmmakers are waiting on a new draft and said his involvement came about out of nowhere, after a call he received one night saying producers were interested. And Pine was excited.
“I certainly love the character and I’ve always been a fan of stories about international intrigue,” he said.
“The past few years have been such a whirlwind and now to maybe be offered Jack Ryan, it’s such a huge step in my career and something that would not have happened if [‘Star Trek’ director] J.J. Abrams hadn’t taken a chance on me.”
Is the world ready for Chris Pine as Jack Ryan? What do you think the “Star Trek” star might bring to the role that we haven’t seen before?
source: mtv movies blog
I think it is. He’s gonna do it better than Ford and Baldwin…