This is one of the stranger rumours we've heard recently. Moviehole is reporting that Paramount is planning to relaunch the Jack Ryan franchise, which has already included The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of All Fears, with Ryan Gosling taking over the role vacated by Alec Baldwin and then Harrison Ford and then Ben Affleck.
Now, we think Gosling is an absolutely incredible actor and welcome his inclusion in anything. But we don't get the desire to relaunch Jack Ryan, particularly since this new film is not going to be based on a Tom Clancy novel. Director Philip Noyce reportedly told Moviehole a new film is in the works, he would not be involved and Gosling would take the role. He said the title is By Any Means Necessary and is an original script.
Does Jack Ryan really mean anything to anyone, filmically? Is he a character to carry a franchise or could any of the movies he's appeared in work just as well with a lead of a different name?