Kenneth Branagh has confirmed that in addition to directing Paramount’s reboot of their Jack Ryan political thriller franchise based on the series of novels by Tom Clancy he will be playing the film’s villain, a Russian financier named Viktor Stazov who is behind a terrorist attack on the United States designed to destroy the country’s economy. Branagh’s casting makes him the second actor to join the film after Chris Pine was hired to play Ryan.
Branagh made the announcement during during a panel presentation at the Television Critics Association press tour for the upcoming season of Masterpiece Theater. According to Deadline, Baranagh stated that the film –
An original story that allows us to understand how Jack Ryan, created by Tom Clancy, develops into a CIA analyst, before joining, and perhaps even joining, the CIA. It’s a very contemporary action thriller, set in the here and now.
The film’s screenplay is currently be worked on by David Koepp who is rewriting Adam Cozad’s screenplay Moscow. Conzad’s draft is a reworking of the non-Jack Ryan script Dubai.
The film is set to start shooting in September in London.
