Photography Starts On Director Kenneth Branagh’s JACK RYAN

Photo credit: David Lee (c) 2012 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions announced today that principal photography has begun on JACK RYAN, from Academy Award®-nominated director Kenneth Branagh, starring Chris Pine, Academy Award®-nominated Keira Knightley and Academy Award®-nominated Kevin Costner. Branagh has helmed films such as THOR, FRANKENSTEIN and DEAD AGAIN. He’s become a very astute director and I have no doubt he’ll do another fine job with this contemporary action thriller. I really am impressed that Branagh, in addition to directing the film, will take on the role of Russian oligarch Viktor Cherevin. Check out the movies I mentioned if you’ve never seen Branagh the actor. Presently he’s on PBS as “Kurt Wallander” in the WALLANDER series Sunday nights on PBS.

Based on the Jack Ryan character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, JACK RYAN is set in the present day. The original story, written by David Koepp (ANGELS AND DEMONS, WAR OF THE WORLDS), follows a young Jack as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot. JACK RYAN stars Pine (STAR TREK’s Captain Kirk, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS – Can’t wait for this!) as the title character; Knightley (ANNA KARENINA, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise) as his fiancé Cathy Muller; Costner ( TV’s HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, DANCES WITH WOLVES) as Ryan’s CIA handler Harper; and Peter Andersson (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO trilogy) as security agent Dmitri Lemkov.

Photo credit: David Lee (c) 2012 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

There’s a lot of tried-and-true producers on this film as well. Lorenzo di Bonaventura (TRANSFORMERS, RED) will produce through his Di Bonaventura Pictures banner, along with Mace Neufeld (THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES) and David Barron of the HARRY POTTER franchise.  David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake of Skydance Productions (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL, TRUE GRIT) will executive produce along with Tommy Harper (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL).

The film is shooting in New York, Moscow and London and is slated for release on December 25, 2013.