Ryan’s Little Brother

OK, we all know who Jack Ryan is. After years of watching him single-handedly destroy any pesky terrorists or drug lords threatening our freedom in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, we know he's the man to trust when it comes down to a good old scrape. Even when he suddenly transmogrified from Harrison Ford into Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears, our faith in his messiah-like abilities remained unshaken. But there's now going to be a new kid on the block. Tom Clancy's other hero, John Clark, is muscling in on the intelligent action hero territory. The shadowy CIA agent Clark has, up until now, had to be content with playing bit parts to big brother Ryan, appearing in the form of Willem Dafoe in Clear and Present Danger and Liev Shreiber in The Sum of All Fears. But Clancy has actually written two books focusing specifically on the CIA man, the dark revenge tale "Without Remorse" optioned by Paramount for years and the later Rainbow Six which has happily now been chosen for silver screen treatment. With a scriptwriter now contracted, it's full steam ahead for more Clancy-style international espionage in a tale that sees the ex-Navy SEAL – aren't they always? – upping camp from the CIA together with a couple of his colleagues and heading over to good old Blighty. Happily ensconsed in England, Clark and his chums then set about creating a multinational organisation designed to battle terrorism and undertake the secret missions Ryan can be no part of. President Ryan, your time is up. John Clark has arrived.