The Jack Ryan Movie Should Adapt Tom Clancy’s The Cardinal of the Kremlin

The Jack Ryan Movie Should Adapt Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin

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  • Who Is Jack Ryan, Explained

As a die-hard fan of Tom Clancy’s work and someone who has lived through the Cold War era, I cannot help but feel a deep sense of nostalgia when I think about the Jack Ryan series. The Cardinal of the Kremlin is not just a novel; it’s a piece of history that captures the tension and intrigue of those times.


By October 2024, reports surfaced that Amazon MGM Studios was working on a new Jack Ryan film in collaboration with Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media. It has been confirmed that John Krasinski will reprise his role from their successful TV series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” while Wendell Pierce is expected to return as the former CIA leader, James Geer. Although specific details about the plot are being kept secret, it would be smart for the writers and producers to base the movie on Tom Clancy’s fourth novel titled “The Cardinal of the Kremlin.

First published in 1988, “The Cardinal of the Kremlin” serves as a direct continuation of Tom Clancy’s highly praised debut novel, “The Hunt for Red October.” This novel was successfully brought to the big screen by John McTiernan in 1990. A film adaptation was initially planned in the mid-’90s with Harrison Ford set to reprise his role as Jack Ryan for a fourth time, but the production was deemed too challenging at that time. However, with 25 years of technological progress, now seems like an ideal moment to bring “The Cardinal of the Kremlin” to life on screen.

Who Is Jack Ryan, Explained

The Jack Ryan Movie Should Adapt Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the KremlinThe Jack Ryan Movie Should Adapt Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the KremlinThe Jack Ryan Movie Should Adapt Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin

Tom Clancy, a renowned author of spy novels, has developed the principal character, Jack Ryan, who appears in numerous tales published from 1984 to 2013. Throughout these stories, Jack Ryan is depicted as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, undertaking various covert missions during and beyond the Cold War era. Jack Ryan first made his appearance in Clancy’s inaugural novel, The Hunt for Red October, a story that was later brought to life on the big screen with Alec Baldwin portraying the character of Jack Ryan.

1992 saw Harrison Ford stepping into the character of Jack Ryan and gracing the screen in adaptations of two Tom Clancy novels, “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger”. In 1988, between these two films, “The Cardinal of the Kremlin” was published. This book is a direct sequel to “The Hunt for Red October”, continuing the Cold War tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. Ben Affleck took on the role of Jack Ryan in 2002’s “The Sum of All Fears”, an adaptation from Clancy’s fifth novel set in the Ryanverse.

Between 2018 and 2023, John Krasinski played Jack Ryan in the popular TV series on Prime Video. Notably, this series doesn’t follow the original novels when telling its story. For example, Mike November (played by Michael Kelly) is not a character from the books; instead, he represents several characters combined. Currently, Michael Kelly is in talks to reprise his role in the upcoming Jack Ryan film.

Consequently, four from the initial five Jack Ryan books have been transformed for the cinema, leaving The Cardinal of the Kremlin as the sole exception. Given their compelling characters and stories, there seems to be no more opportune moment than now to bring it to life on the big screen.

Why The Cardinal of the Kremlin Should Be Adapted Next

The Jack Ryan Movie Should Adapt Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the KremlinThe Jack Ryan Movie Should Adapt Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the KremlinThe Jack Ryan Movie Should Adapt Tom Clancy's The Cardinal of the Kremlin

Although Without Remorse is considered Clancy’s most action-packed Ryan novel, it delves into the character’s early years during the Vietnam era. Given that Chris Krasinski will reprise his role as the mature version of Clancy, we can exclude this storyline. Instead, Clancy enthusiasts would be thrilled to see an adaptation of The Cardinal of the Kremlin, following on from where The Hunt for Red October concluded on screen in 1990.

Performing this action would offer a thrilling conclusion after 35 years, allowing spectators to witness the strong connection between Ryan and his superior in the CIA, James Greer (who will be played by Wendell Pierce in the upcoming movie directed by Andrew Bernstein). Notably, John T. Clark, also known as Rainbow Six, a significant character from the Ryanverse, has yet to appear in the Jack Ryan TV series. Adapting The Cardinal of the Kremlin would introduce Clark to the TV audience and link this story to The Hunt for Red October. It would also rectify the mistakes made in the 1994 adaptation featuring Harrison Ford and William Shatner.

In summary, the book “The Cardinal of the Kremlin” has been highly praised for its abundance of action and lack of sentimentality, with Kirkus remarking “It’s packed with action, but light on emotional baggage“. The New York Times went even further, declaring it as “The standout of the Jack Ryan series“. Set in the Kremlin, where Jack Ryan embarks on a mission to extract CARDINAL, the CIA’s most covert operative, this novel could serve as a perfect bridge for fans transitioning from Season 3 of the TV show “Jack Ryan“, which is set during the Soviet era. If you’re eager to continue exploring the Jack Ryan universe, you can catch up on the series on Prime Video.

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2024-11-06 02:31