Per this report from Variety, it looks like Chris Pine’s turn as Jack Ryan has met a significant setback. Original director Jack Bender, known primarily for his work directing umpteen Lost episodes, has bowed out. Supposedly it’s a matter of workload for Bender, as his commitments in the television arena are becoming too much to juggle with Tom Clancy’s celebrated literary character in the fold.
That seems like something of a bullshit excuse. Paramount seemingly forgot that they fast-tracked this film when Pine came onboard, as it’s been laboring in script rewrites since he was first announced (with screenwriting heavyweight David Koepp getting a go last year). Bender has been working on this since 2010, and I highly doubt his executive producer credit on Alcatraz will be taking up his time for much longer. So, to me at least, this reeks of good ol’ fashioned creative differences.
If I were Paramount I’d be looking up Campbell, Martin in my rolodex right now (if a studio were so inclined to still use rolodexes). That poor soul’s in need of a layup with Green Lantern having shit the bed not too long ago. Reviving downtrodden spy franchises are like relaxing Caribbean vacations for that guy.