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Jack Ryan TV series won't feature John Clark

From Digital Spy

John Krasinski will bring Tom Clancy's CIA hero to life, with a modern slant, in the new eight-part Amazon series Jack Ryan.

But while Ryan, who's featured in dozens of novels since his debut in 1984's The Hunt for Red October, is Clancy's best-known protagonist, another of the author's inventions – John Clark – also has a strong following.

Clark – described by Clancy as "Ryan's dark side" – is a former Navy SEAL and CIA officer who has appeared in many of the Ryan books, as well as in his own spin-off novels.

The character has also been portrayed on-screen by Willem Dafoe – opposite Harrison Ford's Ryan in 1994 film Clear and Present Danger – and Liev Schreiber – appearing alongside Ben Affleck in 2002's The Sum of All Fears.

Photo credit: Paramount Pictures/Getty Images
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures/Getty Images

But don't expect Clark to appear in the new Amazon series, with showrunners Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland telling Digital Spy that rights issues prevent them from using the character.

"No, [he won't be appearing]," said Cuse. "He's kind of his own separate thing."

Instead, the series will introduce new character Matice (John Hoogenakker) – a Black Ops operative for the CIA who fulfils some of the same functions as Clark.

"When you watch your show, if you liked Matice, he's our version of that guy [Clark]," Roland explained.

Jack Ryan is not based on any one of Clancy's novels, but will instead explore the character's origin as he is he is wrenched from the security of his desk job into the field, where he uncovers a growing terrorist threat bent on carrying out an attack on the United States.

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan will be available on Amazon Prime Video from August 31.


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