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Director Sam Raimi on the set of SPIDER-MAN 2.
© Columbia Pictures

Raimi Leading New JACK RYAN Trilogy

By: Jarrod Sarafin
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Source: Variety

Paramount Pictures is dusting off its rights for Jack Ryan stories, based on Tom Clancy's created character, and plans to bring a new series of films to the big screen with Sam Raimi set as director. The new films will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Raimi's Buckaroo Entertainment partner Josh Donen.

The intention is to generate several films Raimi would develop and direct, featuring Ryan at a younger, more formative point in his career than previously depicted. One invention the studio is considering is to set the film in the present, with the action triggered by a global threat.

Par will draft a scribe to write a Ryan movie that Raimi would shoot after he completes the Universal horror film Drag Me to Hell. Paramount wants the Ryan movie ready for release in summer 2010.

Ryan is the cerebral CIA analyst who climbed the political ladder and became an Everyman action hero star in a quartet of films spearheaded by producer Mace Neufeld. Alec Baldwin originated Ryan in 1990's The Hunt for Red October" and when Baldwin famously jumped ship to do A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway, Harrison Ford replaced him in 1992's Patriot Games and 1994's Clear and Present Danger. Ben Affleck played Ryan in 2002's The Sum of All Fears. The four films grossed $781.5 million worldwide.

While Clancy is completing another Ryan novel, the studio hasn't read it and so hasn't decided if it will use the new book or come up with an original story. Paramount controls rights to the Ryan character, and gets first look at the new novel.

Raimi was drawn to the project because he loves the character. The studio was attracted by Raimi's skill in navigating a franchise, following a trio of Spider-Man blockbusters.

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Comments/Responses

AzuLTaLoN • Mar 19, 2008, 01:32am •

and there go my dreams of any kind of evil dead 4....sob...

mlaforcer • Mar 19, 2008, 01:35am •

Wow...who would have thought? I don't really understand what his thought process is here although I have enjoyed the Jack Ryan stories that involved Harrison Ford I just don't see what the appeal would be for Raimi to do these...There is no doubt in my mind he can do them justice, it's just I would like to see him concentrate on other things that are far better suited for him but then again, these could be right up his alley and we just don't know it yet...

mlaforcer • Mar 19, 2008, 01:39am •

AzuL...What's up brother? the question I am going to ask you makes me feel like a student back in High school who has not studied for an exam, so here it goes...If you have the answers for the trivia shots this week just shoot me an e mail of the answers because I really, really, really want to get a higher score this week...
p.s. don't let the teacher see this note or we are both in trouble...LOL

exfan • Mar 19, 2008, 01:40am •

This is the jason bourne effect....They want to make the character younger.....I beleive raimi want to be a multi talent director, not only associate whit horror and fantastic. Good moove, let see hoe he will handle this one

JarrodSarafin • Mar 19, 2008, 01:43am •

I did the same head turning when I saw this story, mla.

Raimi has talked about how much of an emotional and time-consuming drain the Spider-Man trilogy was for so many years..

And now, he has a new Fantasy series hitting ABC next year (based on Terry Goodkind's series)..

And...this? I'd understand if he was just taking this as a one time deal to lead the new Jack Ryan movie..but the press release implies multiple films all with Raimi set to executive produce and direct.

Damn Sam. Spider-Man locked you up for nearly a decade and now you have something for the next decade.

ponyboy76 • Mar 19, 2008, 03:02am •

Yeah, this does strike me as kind of strange. I would have figured Raimi would be a little tired of the whole franchise thing and want to do more solo, one shot projects. This will definitely keep him as occupied, if not more than the Spiderman movies. He must really love the character and they must be paying him a shit load of cash.

Whiskeymovie • Mar 19, 2008, 05:03am •

I have always enjoyed this series. I think that all of the movies and all of the actors playing Jack Ryan have done well, but for some reason, I really thought The Sum of All Fears and Ben Affleck were the best. Don't get me wrong, Harrison Ford was awesome, but I think the Story for Sum and the fact it showed the start of his carrer was really cool. This does seem to be an odd choice for Rami, I never would have guessed he would go after a Jack Ryan movie, but, I think he will do it well.

rgtchtiger • Mar 19, 2008, 05:50am •

The good:

Sam Raimi is moving on to a new project.

Sam Raimi is tackling something outside his normal genre of films. He did that previously with A Simple Plan and made an excellent thriller. Hopefully he will continue to broaden his horizons.

The (potentially) bad:

As others have said, he may be stretching himself too thin with all these new projects between television and film. I can't imagine he could be that closely involved with his new tv series since he's prepping the new Jack Ryan films.

Raimi could really burn himself out from this franchise after 2 or 3 more films, but I suspect he will want to go light on CGI effects and try to keep everything as practical as possible (so maybe that's both a good and a bad mixed there).

SONYMANswallows • Mar 19, 2008, 06:15am •

Azul calm down, if he is not boged down with SPIDER PIG and the Nazi's at Columbia and Sony pictures he can multi task. Producer is easier then director.
Every Jack Ryan movie is great to say the leastand I want Ben Affleck back.

Don't even think about scrawny Maguire oy Kirstie Dunce.

hanso • Mar 19, 2008, 06:19am •

A younger than 30 Jack Ryan?

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