Credit: Far Out / YouTube Still
Sun 30 August 2026 1:30, UK
If you’re looking to cast an actor to deliver a nuanced, emotional lead performance, then maybe you should avoid Chris Pine, but if you’re looking for somebody to star in a recognisable franchise, then he might just be your man.
One of his best-known roles is James Tiberius Kirk in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek movies, where he’s played the Enterprise captain three times, with fans constantly calling for a fourth instalment. Elsewhere, he’s portrayed Steve Trevor in two Wonder Woman movies, a version of the title character in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and, of course, the glorious Nicholas Devereux in The Princess Diaries 2.
Then, in 2014, he geared up to be the fourth actor to embody the titular franchise character in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. The Tom Clancy-minted Ryan is a CIA analyst who made his debut in the author’s debut novel, The Hunt for Red October. The film adaptation, which came in 1990, saw Alec Baldwin assume the role before it went to Harrison Ford for follow-ups Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, after which Ben Affleck donned the guise for The Sum of All Fears.
The other common thread tying these films was that they were all based on a Clancy novel, and deviating from norm was Shadow Recruit, which tells the story of a younger Ryan attempting to thwart a Russian plot to tank the US economy. Starring alongside Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner (who almost played Ryan in Red October), and Kenneth Branagh (who also served as director), the movie was expected to take the actor’s career to the next level, but alas, that was not to be.
Shadow Recruit, released just a few months after Clancy’s death, received mixed reviews, labelled a carbon copy of every other spy thriller that had come before it, and while Pine’s performance was well met, Knightley’s turn as his love interest garnered utter disdain.
With a $135million box office gross from a $60m budger, it was also something of a box office disappointment, so the same year of its release, Pine sat down with The Wrap to deliver a post-mortem. He knew that the film wasn’t the best it could have been, and that was something that weighed heavily on his mind.
“That’s one of my deep regrets, that we didn’t totally get that right,” he confessed, “It’s a great franchise, and if it’s not me, then I hope it gets a fifth life at this point. It’s just great. I love the spy genre. I hope it’s done again and with a great story.”
Further reading: Cutting Room Floor
One of the biggest issues with Shadow Recruit was that it failed to capture a younger audience; according to CinemaScore, only 15% of its audience was under 25, with the average viewing age being over 50.
Jack Ryan lay dormant for many years until John Krasinski picked up the mantle for four seasons of a TV show, after which The Office star hit the big screen with Jack Ryan: Ghost War, the character’s first feature-length outing in over a decade. It was an Amazon Prime release, so the box office figures aren’t available, but given its lacklustre critical reception, let’s just say it wasn’t the glorious resurrection Pine was hoping for.
