How Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War Keeps His 42-Year-Old Hero Feeling Fresh Explained By Director & Stars

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The popular Jack Ryan character, created by Tom Clancy, returns in Jack Ryan: Ghost War, and the game feels exciting and new.

This movie continues the story from the popular Prime Video series. Picking up right after the show’s finale, it follows John Krasinski’s character as he’s called back to investigate a secret, dangerous operation involving a rogue military unit. In Ghost War, Jack teams up with familiar faces – Mike November, James Greer, and a new MI6 agent, Emma Marlowe – to stop the threat and deal with past betrayals.

John Krasinski is back as Jack Ryan in the new film, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War, alongside familiar faces like Wendell Pierce and Michael Kelly, as well as newcomers Betty Gabriel, Sienna Miller, and Max Beesley. The movie, directed by Andrew Bernstein in his first feature film, was written by Aaron Rabin and Krasinski, based on an idea from Krasinski and Noah Oppenheim. It’s the first Jack Ryan movie adaptation since 2014’s Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

To celebrate the release of the movie, Liam Crowley from ScreenRant spoke with John Krasinski, Michael Kelly, Wendell Pierce, and Andrew Bernstein about Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War. When asked how they kept the character relevant after 42 years, Krasinski said he didn’t find it challenging to modernize Jack Ryan. He explained that the character exists within a large and enduring world that will likely outlast everyone involved in the production.

The five-time Emmy nominee explained that Clancy had been working in the field for many years, even after writing the Jack Ryan novels. The creative team behind the show and films consistently looked to him as a guiding principle for their writing, covering everything from realistic political scenarios to engaging characters and storylines.

As a huge fan, what really struck me about John Krasinski’s approach was how carefully he crafted the relationships between the characters. He really leaned into the idea of changing up the format, and for me, that was key. After spending so much time developing these characters in a longer format, he wondered if we could now put them in a much more intense, high-stakes situation, knowing the audience already cared about them.

Bernstein believes Jack Ryan remains a compelling character because history tends to repeat itself, allowing for new and relevant stories. He feels this is what makes Tom Clancy such a strong writer – even his early work on international politics still feels current and insightful. Bernstein argues this cyclical nature of history is precisely why Jack Ryan is always a needed character, why his stories continue to be engaging, and why there will always be more stories to tell.

Bernstein explained that when adapting John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan from a TV series to a movie, he looked to films like The Hunt for Red October with Alec Baldwin and Patriot Games starring Harrison Ford as inspiration, along with a few other movies from the 1970s.

We primarily drew inspiration from the Jack Ryan feature films, rather than the television series. From the start, we envisioned this as a self-contained movie experience. We’re huge fans of those films and the actors who brought those characters to life, but we wanted to create our own distinct take on Jack Ryan. John Krasinski’s performance has been phenomenal, and that movie format was key to our approach. We hope fans of the series enjoy it, but we also aimed to attract a new audience who could appreciate it as a standalone film, which meant looking to different sources for inspiration.

Making Ghost War Simultaneously Felt Like A 20-Year Gap As A One-Day Gap For The Cast

ScreenRant asked Wendell how he carried over Greer’s strong religious beliefs from the TV show into the movie, since faith is a key part of the character.

Wendell Pierce describes the character as someone who constantly wrestles with his faith and often doubts. While he may experience genuine belief at times, his personal code of ethics – doing what’s right and treating people well – serves as his guiding principle, almost like a church. He actively strives to stay true to his values, recognizing his own imperfections. This internal struggle is reflected in his relationship with Jack, where they challenge each other’s beliefs and help each other find their moral compass as friends.

ScreenRant asked the actor about creating his character, Mike November, noting that Greer and Jack Ryan were already established from Tom Clancy’s books. They wanted to know what it felt like to originate a character from scratch and if he had any creative input into Mike November’s personality and background.

Michael Kelly finds the character’s journey particularly compelling, especially during season 2. He evolves from a rigid CIA operative to someone who’s more relaxed and free-spirited after hitting the road with a new group, driven by his own sense of what’s right. Kelly notes that John, likely the showrunner, played a key role in shaping the character, and that the actors’ personal relationships also influenced how the character developed. It’s been enjoyable for Kelly to portray this transformation.

John Krasinski: He’s crazier than his character, if that’s even possible. [Chuckles]

Michael Kelly: [Laughs] He’s a lot of fun.

ScreenRant recently spoke with Emily about a potential sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. They also asked if she’s currently outlining the story for A Quiet Place Part 3 using Post-it notes.

I don’t actually use Post-it notes. I handwrite scene summaries on cards. Whenever I’m working on a script, I rewrite it as a series of cards, each with a brief description of what’s happening in that scene. People sometimes refer to this process as ‘Post-it noting,’ but it’s really just writing things out by hand.

ScreenRant asked whether the story is told in order, or if it’s assembled like a puzzle as the narrative unfolds.

I actually have a specific writing process. I visualize the entire movie in my head and avoid writing anything down for as long as possible. My thinking is, if an idea is strong enough, it’ll stick with you for weeks or even months. I essentially write the movie as if I’m already directing it, all the way through to the end credits. Once I can ‘see’ the credits roll, I know the movie is complete and I write the script as quickly as I can.

I remember interviewing the cast of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts three years ago, and you briefly appeared at the end. Before the premiere, I asked everyone what crossover they’d like to see, and they all said G.I. Joe. You seemed to be the one who confirmed that was the plan. Is there a story behind that?

Michael Kelly: I don’t know. I don’t know.

Someone asked if the notes used to develop the story for A Quiet Place also contained ideas for future Jack Ryan storylines.

John Krasinski: Not on the Quiet Place board.

ScreenRant asked if the filmmakers had any plans to further develop certain aspects in future Jack Ryan movies, noting the strong teamwork evident in the production.

Definitely. I’d happily spend all my time with these two guys, any day.

Michael Kelly says the three actors genuinely enjoy working together, both on and off screen, and that energy translates to their characters and the film itself. He believes the strong bond viewers see between the characters is authentic, stemming from the real-life connection between the three of them.

John Krasinski: [To Michael Kelly] What was your name again? [Laughs]

Wendell Pierce laughed and said he realized it had been three years since they finished filming the series. He described returning to set as seamless, like they hadn’t missed a step. It felt like they were picking up right where they left off.

You know, when we got back together, someone asked me what it felt like, and it was so strange. It honestly felt like twenty years had passed, but at the same time, it felt like yesterday. That’s because we’re all still close friends. We still go to each other’s gigs and hang out, so it’s like we never really left that whole experience behind.

Krasinski Proved A Great “Sounding Board” For Andrew Bernstein

ScreenRant: So, did you like working with John?

I really enjoy working with John – he’s incredibly talented. As a director, it’s fantastic to have someone involved who understands every part of the filmmaking process and is also a skilled actor. It makes things so much easier, especially on a complex project like this one.

I was really intrigued by a question ScreenRant posed – given that John is also a director, and he’s directing the film’s star, did being on set with him teach me anything about directing? They were quick to point out he wasn’t trying to take over, but I was curious if I picked up any new insights just by observing his approach.

Working with this director has been fantastic. I’ve learned so much from all the talented directors I’ve known, and he’s right up there with them. It was really helpful to have someone I could talk to about challenges on set – he just gets it. Plus, he understands the Jack Ryan character better than anyone. Any time you can collaborate with someone that skilled, it’s a great experience.

ScreenRant mentioned your upcoming show, Silent River, and noted it seems to have a similar feel to True Detective. Would you agree with that comparison?

It’s fair to say things are progressing, but I’m not sharing any details just yet. It’s too soon to hint at what’s coming. We’re just really excited to release this movie and hope audiences enjoy it. Then we’ll figure out what happens next with the project and the people involved.

Be sure to dive into some of our other Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War coverage with:

  • John Krasinski & Andrew Bernstein on Jack Ryan‘s future after Ghost War
  • Bernstein, Krasinski & Michael Kelly on how the first Jack Ryan film in 12 years elevates the franchise
  • Krasinski on why he still hasn’t approached Harrison Ford about having taken over the iconic role

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2026-05-21 00:45