Without remorse, he rekindled Tom Clancy’s passion for cinema, that is all those spy-action films based on the novels of the famous American writer and often centered on the adventures of Jack Ryan.
Jack Ryan’s character has been played by several actors in the cinema, and among these stand out Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford: the first had been Jack Ryan in Hunt for Red October, alongside Sean Connery under the direction of John McTiernan, while the latter was the protagonist in Power Games e Under the sign of danger, both directed by Philip Noyce.
The legendary interpreter of Indiana Jones, Blade Runner e Star Wars came called to replace the young colleague due to a dispute between Baldwin and the head of the Paramount Pictures studio David Kirkpatrick, although both protagonists of the story have presented different versions for the argument.
At the time of its release Hunt for Red October grossed $ 200 million worldwide, which guaranteed a sequel in which Baldwin naturally thought he would return as Jack Ryan. Speaking of his departure from the scene, Baldwin stated: “The truth is, the studio cut my throat: John McTiernan, who directed The Hunt for Red October, told me he was negotiating to make a movie with a very famous movie star who had abandoned the movie he was making. such as to be able to participate in the sequel to Hunt for Red October. John also told me that Paramount owed that actor a large sum of money for a film that had a green light but was then shelved, and taking me out of the equation would help alleviate that debt.“.
Although Baldwin never named the famous movie star Paramount owed money to, it is logical to assume that he referred to Harrison Ford, which not surprisingly had just completed the trilogy of Indiana Jones for the study. Baldwin obviously did not blame his colleague but Paramount executive David Kirkpatrick, in his view responsible for the ‘machinations’ behind the scenes. The manager, however, replied: “Basically, the reason Alec Baldwin and I ended our relationship for the character in the Jack Ryan franchise was a matter of trust. We didn’t trust each other to continue the business. Negotiations for the sequel went on for nearly a year. Eventually he pulled out of the Power Games project because he wasn’t happy with the script. I wanted him to approve that script, he refused. But we separated amicably …“
At the end Power games, with Harrison Ford, enjoyed a longer opening weekend than in Hunt for Red October, but ended its box office run with $ 12 million less globally. However, Ford’s second film as Jack Ryan, Under the sign of danger, earned the highest grossing of all five Jack Ryan films with $ 207 million. After Ford, the franchise restarted with three different actors, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine and John Krasinski, who between cinema and television were Jack Ryan for the next 25 years.
