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

In late October 2024, news broke that Amazon MGM Studios is developing a new Jack Ryan movie with Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media. John Krasinski is set to reprise his role from the studio’s hit TV series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, with Wendell Pierce slated to return as former CIA leader James Geer. Although plot details are under wraps, the writers and producers would be wise to adapt Clancy’s fourth novel, The Cardinal of the Kremlin.

Published in 1988, The Cardinal of the Kremlin is a direct sequel to Clancy’s acclaimed debut novel The Hunt for Red October, which John McTiernan adapted to critical acclaim in 1990. A film adaptation was planned in the mid-’90s with Harrison Ford attached to play Jack Ryan for a fourth time, but it was considered too difficult to film. With 25 years of technological advancement, now is the perfect time to adapt The Cardinal of the Kremlin.

A new adaptation of the popular book series, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan follows the titular character as he goes from CIA analyst to being thrust into the middle of a conspiracy that threatens to uproot the world and its status quo. When Jack stumbles upon strange bank transfers during routine analysis, he’s tossed from the comfort of his desk job into the world of action, espionage, and political intrigue to investigate. But, unfortunately, Jack’s search for answers will take him to the heart of a dangerous terrorist ring that seeks to destabilize the U.S. and its allies.

Release Date

August 31, 2018

Seasons

4

Who Is Jack Ryan, Explained

Created by spy novelist Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan is the main protagonist in several stories published between 1984 and 2013. A CIA analyst tasked with various espionage missions during the Cold War and beyond, Ryan was introduced in Clancy’s debut novel, The Hunt for Red October. The story was adapted into a successful feature film, with Alec Baldwin playing Jack Ryan.

In 1992, Harrison Ford took over the role of Jack Ryan and starred in two Clancy adaptations, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Published in 1988 between Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, The Cardinal of the Kremlin continues the Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in a direct sequel to The Hunt for Red October. Ben Affleck played Jack Ryan in The Sum of All Fears in 2002 (adapted from Clancy’s fifth Ryanverse novel).

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From 2018 to 2023, John Krasinski portrayed Jack Ryan in Prime Video’s hit TV series, which famously avoids adapting the source novels to tell its story. For instance, Mike November (Michael Kelly) does not exist in the novels and functions as a composite of multiple characters. Kelly is negotiating to reprise his role in the upcoming Jack Ryan movie.

Therefore, four of the first five Jack Ryan novels have been adapted to the big screen, with The Cardinal of the Kremlin remaining the only outlier. Considering the characters and plot, there’s no better time to make it into a movie than the present.

Why The Cardinal of the Kremlin Should Be Adapted Next

While Without Remorse is regarded as Clancy’s most action-packed Ryan novel, it is set in Vietnam during the character’s formative years. Since Krasinksi is slated to reprise his role as the adult version of Clancy, that story should be ruled out. Instead, nothing would please Clancy fans more than adapting The Cardinal of the Kremlin, picking up where The Hunt for Red October left off in theaters in 1990.

Doing so would provide dramatic closure after 35 years and give viewers a glimpse at the bond formed between Ryan and his CIA superior, James Greer, who plays a key role in the novel. As mentioned, Wendell Pierce has already agreed to play Greer in the upcoming movie directed by Andrew Bernstein. Furthermore, the story introduces John T. Clark, aka Rainbow Six, another major Ryanverse character conspicuously absent from the Jack Ryan TV series. Adapting The Cardinal of the Kremlin would introduce Clark to the TV audience while bridging the narrative between it and The Hunt for Red October. It would also atone for the failed 1994 adaptation, with Harrison Ford and William Shatner set to star.

Without spoiling too much, The Cardinal of the Kremlin was praised by Kirkus for boasting “Plenty of action; no mushy stuff.” Meanwhile, The New York Times called the novel “By far the best of the Jack Ryan series.” The story finds Ryan infiltrating the Kremlin on a mission to remove CARDINAL, the CIA’s most deeply embedded spy. An ideal bridge to connect Jack Ryan‘s Soviet-set Season 3, The Cardinal of the Kremlin is rife for a cinematic adaptation that will service Ryanverse fans across the board. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is available to stream on Prime Video.