Clooney Wants to Play Clancy's Jack Ryan

by Anne Thompson
July 7, 2009 4:16 AM
0 Comments
  • |

ClooneyheadvespatorontoActorGeor_Jeff_14774962_600

Buried in this Kim Masters story about Sony bringing over George Clooney's production deal is a juicy nugget: Clooney wants to take over playing Jack Ryan in the Tom Clancy franchise. That is, if Paramount ever gets its act together and puts the next movie back on the front burner. It's been years since Ben Affleck took over from Harrison Ford as a younger Ryan, and acquitted himself well in The Sum of All Fears, which grossed $193 million worldwide in 2002.

Affleckbenhead

The studio didn't go ahead and make another one with Affleck because his prime supporter, studio chief Sherry Lansing, was on her way out the door, and the movie did not score in overseas markets. In the past seven years, Affleck has gained some gravitas as a writer-director (Gone Baby Gone), but his star is not on the rise as a leading man (see State of Play, He's Just Not that Into You). When constant management shifts brought the studio a series of production heads, nobody seemed to recognize that the dormant Clancy series could be a valuable tentpole. With Affleck out, Clooney is perfect casting for a more mature Ryan.

You might also like:

0 Comments

Email Updates

Most "Liked"

  • Oscar Watch: New Look at Naomi Watts ...
  • Trailers from Hell: Joe Dante on Peter ...
  • Casting Watch: Blunt Joins Depp, Streep, ...
  • Drink Like Don Draper and Philip Marlowe ...
  • Weekend Preview: 'Frances Ha' Delights, ...
  • Cannes News: Music Box Snags Competition ...
  • In the Works: David O. Russell to Direct ...
  • Harvey Weinstein Previews Awards Slate ...
  • WATCH: Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Renner ...
  • End of an Era: Musto Leaves Voice, Is ...