Michael B. Jordan's Rainbow Six movie is the perfect opportunity to bring back Harrison Ford's Jack Ryan. Tom Clancy creation Ryan has been billed as something of an American everyman version of James Bond. That descriptor shouldn't imply Ryan hasn't been involved in his share of dangerous/potentially world-ending events though. Ryan's fortunes in live-action have been somewhat mixed because despite none of his movies being outright flops, audiences don't have a definitive version of the CIA analyst in mind. Jack Ryan has been played by Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Ben Affleck and Harrison Ford.
By virtue of being the only actor to play Ryan twice on the big screen, he's the one most associated with the part. The character of Ryan was notably absent from 2021's Without Remorse, which was a spinoff focusing on Michael B. Jordan's former NAVY Seal John Clark seeking revenge for his wife's murder. Without Remorse ended with a tease for a sequel focusing on Clark taking command of a multi-country anti-terrorist squad, the titular Rainbow Six. John Wick helmer Chad Stahelski will direct the follow-up, which also presents a rare opening for Ford to return to Tom Clancy land.
Rainbow Six is Harrison Ford's Best Jack Ryan Comeback
Ford last played Ryan in 1994's Clear And Present Danger, but he was originally set to return for The Sum Of All Fears before it was rebooted. While it was initially believed that Without Remorse kept its Jack Ryan ties vague because later movies might connect to Amazon's show of the same name - starring John Krasinski - it doesn't appear that crossover is happening now. Not only could Rainbow Six bring Ford's Ryan back, but it could also make him the President of the United States, as he became in Clancy's books. That would give Ford a chance to explore a whole new side of the character.
Plus, it would be a good legacy hook for Rainbow Six and give Jordan a distinguished screen legend to work with. That said, the continuity ties of bringing Ford back would be tricky. Ford's Ryan actually encountered Clark before in Clear And Present Danger, where he was played by Willem Dafoe. One route around that is taking the approach Casino Royale took with Judi Dench's M; she's playing the same character, but the continuity around her has been remixed. Ford himself likely wouldn't care much for those details anyway.
Rainbow Six Should Soft Reboot The Original
Without Remorse should have been a solid action vehicle for Jordan, but the movie was a disappointment. It was littered with clichéd dialogue, the plot twists were glaringly obvious and it gave a talented supporting cast little to work with. Without Remorse ended with Jordan's "John Kelly" faking his death and becoming Clark anyway, so Rainbow Six should really soft reboot and ignore Without Remorse as best it can. The original debuted on Prime, but the sequel's likely move to the big screen should further distance it from its mediocre 2021 predecessor.