“Kevin Costner’s 2014 Forgotten Action Adaptation Gets New Life on a Fresh Streamer This October”
When most people think of Jack Ryan — the legendary character created by author Tom Clancy — it’s often John Krasinski who comes to mind these days, thanks to his popular portrayal in the Prime Video series. But before Krasinski’s version of the ex-Marine captivated streaming audiences, Chris Pine (Star Trek) stepped into the role in a 2014 big-screen reboot.
That film, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, marked the fifth installment in the franchise and served as its second reboot. Despite the high hopes, it didn’t quite manage to reignite the series with the impact many expected.
Now, more than a decade later, Shadow Recruit is getting a second chance at success. This October, the film makes its way to Starz, giving audiences a fresh opportunity to revisit (or discover) Pine’s turn as the CIA analyst-turned-operative. The movie also features a solid supporting cast, including Yellowstone star Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Gemma Chan, and Kenneth Branagh — who also directed the film.
Despite the talent involved, the movie received a lukewarm critical response, landing at 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus summed it up by saying: “It doesn’t reinvent the action-thriller wheel, but Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit offers a sleek, reasonably diverting reboot for a long-dormant franchise.”
The plot follows CIA recruit Jack Ryan as he uncovers a web of espionage involving a secretive government agent, his unsuspecting fiancée, and a ruthless Russian financier. With a massive terror plot looming over the United States, Ryan must quickly transition from analyst to field agent in order to stop it.
So, was Shadow Recruit a box office success? It wasn’t a blockbuster, but it did manage to turn a profit. With a reported production budget of $60 million, the film earned $131 million globally — just above the typical breakeven threshold of $120 million. It brought in $50 million domestically and $81 million from international markets, placing it among the top 60 grossing films of 2014 — a year topped by Transformers: Age of Extinction, which pulled in $1.1 billion worldwide.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, starring Kevin Costner and Chris Pine, begins streaming on Starz this October.
