The character of Jack Ryan has gone far beyond the John Krasinski series on Prime Video. Based on the novels of the same name by Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan is a former U.S. Marine and stockbroker who joins the CIA as an analyst, later becoming the Deputy Director. After retiring, he serves as National Security Advisor and Vice President of the United States before becoming President after a terrorist attack on the nation’s capital.
After the debut novel, The Hunt for Red October was released in 1984, the character has been featured in 33 novels and counting. Since 1990, Jack Ryan has been taking over film and TV, with five different actors portraying him over the years. In total, there have been five Jack Ryan movies and one series, the latter of which dropped the final season in 2023. But who all is responsible for bringing the beloved character to life? Take a look below.
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Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin kicked off the Jack Ryan film and TV franchise back in 1990. Directed by John McTiernan, The Hunt for Red October is an adaptation of the first novel in the series. It’s set during the Cold War and centers on a Soviet submarine captain who abandons his orders and heads for the East Coast of the United States. With his submarine equipped with stealth technology, he is virtually invisible. However, CIA agent Ryan sets out to stop him.
Along with Baldwin, the film also stars Sean Connery, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, and Sam Neil. The film is currently available to stream on Max.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford was the next to take up the mantle in 1992’s Patriot Games and 1994’s Clear and Present Danger. Both films serve as sequels to Red October, despite new actors taking over most of the characters. James Earl Jones reprises his role as Admiral Greer. Both films are directed by Phillip Noyce, with Patriot Games also starring Anne Archer, Patrick Bergin, Sean Bean, Thora Birch, James Fox, Samuel L. Jackson, and Richard Harris. Archer and Jones also return for Clear and Present Danger alongside Willem Dafoe.
Both films are streaming on Max.
Ben Affleck
In 2002, Ben Affleck starred in The Sum of All Fears, based on the novel of the same name released in 1991, which was the sequel to 1989’s Clear and Present Danger. While set in the film series, it is a reboot, which sees CIA analyst Jack Ryan trying to find a way to stop an impending nuclear war. Phil Alden Robinson directed the film, which also stars Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Liev Schreiber, Alan Bates, Philip Baker Hall, Ron Rifkin, and Bruce McGill.
The Sum of All Fears is streaming on Max.
Chris Pine
Chris Pine was the next to step into Jack Ryan’s shoes for 2014’s Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. It is also a reboot and is not an adaptation of any novel in the series. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Shadow Recruit follows Jack Ryan, who has been secretly working for the CIA and uncovers a scheme to crash the U.S. economy. As the only man with the skills to stop it, the operative is caught between his secretive handler, fiancee, and a Russian leader.
Kevin Costner, Branagh, and Keira Knightley also star. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is streaming on Max.
John Krasinski
John Krasinski is the latest to portray Jack Ryan and the first to do so on TV. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan premiered on Prime Video in 2018 and became an instant hit. The series centers on the titular CIA analyst as he is thrust into the field. Each season focuses on him discovering, investigating, and stopping a major threat. The fourth and final season, which premiered in summer 2023, sees Jack as the CIA’s acting deputy director and dealing with internal corruption, a drug cartel, and a terrorist organization.
The series stars an ensemble cast that also includes Wendell Pierce, Abbie Cornish, Ali Suliman, Dina Shihabi, Michael Kelly, Nina Hoss, Michael Peña, Okieriete Onaodowan, and Betty Gabriel. All four seasons are streaming on Prime Video.
What’s Next for Jack Ryan?
While Jack Ryan, the franchise will be continuing. In 2022, it was announced that a Jack Ryan spinoff was reportedly in the works, with Michael Peña, who joined the fourth season as senior CIA operative Domingo Chavez, leading it. The character has appeared in 22 of the novels and was played by Raymond Cruz in Clear and Present Danger. Peña did tell Collider over the summer that he didn’t know, he did note that it was all up to the fans to make it happen. Domingo Chavez is a big character in the novel series, so you never know what could happen. Fans will just have to keep their eyes peeled.
