Kenneth Branagh could be about to take time out of his busy schedule memorising The Complete Works Of Shakespeare, for a chance to wield the megaphone on the set of the as yet untitled Jack Ryan flick.
Jack Ryan was, of course, the hero of The Hunt For Red October, when he was played by Alec Baldwin, and has also appeared in Patriot Games and Clear And Present Danger, which starred Harrison Ford, as well as The Sum of All Fears, starring Ben Affleck.
Lost director Jack Bender has already fallen by the wayside because of “scheduling clashes” and Paramount is now in deep in talks with Branagh.
Paramount has been trying to get the movie made since at least 2006 but with no luck. Writers and directors including Fernando Meireilles, Anthony Peckham, Steven Zaillian and David Koep have all been attached at different times with no success.
Mr Branagh turned his hand to directing super smash action pic Thor last year, a move which possibly helped to open him up to a shot at calling the shots on this latest epic.
Meanwhile, the less dynamic sounding The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – which is set to star Kate Winslet – will presumably go on hold if a deal is struck with Paramount who have already waited almost six years for this to come to fruition.
