Amazon’s ‘Jack Ryan’ Is Not Your Uncle’s ‘Jack Ryan’; Here’s Our Reaction To The Premiere Episode [Comic-Con 2018]
Amazon Prime held a two-hour panel at Comic-Con highlighting a slew of upcoming shows, including their most marketed series of the convention,Jack Ryan. Inthe latest adaptation of Tom Clancy’s best-selling novels, Amazon’s Jack is played byJohn Krasinski, the fifth actor to take on the role (previous Jacks include Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine) and the first to play the role in an episodic series instead of a movie. Read on for highlights from theJack RyanComic-Con panel, including our reaction to the first episode.Carlton Cuse, one of the co-creators of the show, was on stage to talk aboutJack Ryanand said that they chose Krasinski because of his performance in13 Hours.“We were super impressed with him as an action hero in that, and that’s why we cast him in our show,” Cuse said. He went on to explain that the show is “a prequel to the books and to the movies, and it starts with Jack Ryan having worked at the CIA for about three years. He’s a guy working in a cubicle in an office, something I think that we relate to…and then he goes on to his first op, and that’s really the journey of the first season of the show.“But the audience didn’t have to rely solely on Cuse’s description of the title character. After the first hour of the panel, Cuse invited fellow co-creator of the showGraham Rolandon stage, and the duo they announced that we would see a screening of the entire first episode ofJack Ryan.The episode was fun, especially if you’re a fan of other thriller-style shows like24.Unlike24’s anti-hero Jack Bauer, however, Jack Ryan is pure hero (even though he doesn’t wear a helmet when riding a bike on DC’s crazy streets). And perhaps we need a hero like Jack right now, a guy who has morals and actually sticks to them. Krasinski successfully portrays this in the first episode, with a hint of PTSD and a flash of his six-pack mixed in to keep things interesting. Without getting into spoiler-level specifics, the first episode also sets up the bad guy quite well, explaining why he’s become who he is.Based on the applause at the end of the episode, the audience enjoyed the show. And Amazon is banking that those outside of Comic-Con will like it as well – the cast is already shooting the second season in Bogota, and Cuse explained that Season 2 would be more of a South American-based political thriller compared to the first season’s focus on the Middle East. The show alsocast a new female lead for season 2: Swedish actorNoomi Rapace, who according to Cuse, will play “a very formidable person who is also in the world of intelligence who crosses paths with Jack Ryan.“So buckle up and get ready for at least two seasons ofJack Ryancoming your way. Let’s hope that Jack learns to wear a helmet by the end.Season 1 ofJack Ryanhits Amazon Prime Video onAugust 31, 2018.
