'Rainbow Six' Film In Development, Could Star Ryan Reynolds

'Rainbow Six' will finally get a film adaptation, could star Ryan Reynolds

By Gabe Gurwin July 13, 2017

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A number of Tom Clancy’s famous novels have been adapted into films, including Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears, and Patriot Games, but the author’s special-operations novel Rainbow Six hasn’t received the big-screen treatment yet. That appears to be changing, with producer Akiva Goldsman developing a film based on the novel for Paramount.

According to Deadline, the film will follow the story of Clancy’s 1998 book, with former Navy SEAL John Clark leading “an international task force to combat terrorism.” Ryan Reynolds is reportedly in early talks to play Clark. Though this will be the first Rainbow Six film, it isn’t the first time we’ve seen the character on camera. He was played Willem Dafoe and Liev Screiber in Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of All Fears, respectively, opposite Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan.

Writers Josh Applebaum and André Nemec will be adapting the story, as author Clancy passed away in 2013. The two previously served as co-producers and writers on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, so they aren’t new to the world of espionage.

The Rainbow Six brand has arguably grown more famous for its line of video games than the original novel. The first game was released alongside the book in 1998, and the franchise has grown to include several games that include missions in Las Vegas, Argentina, and the United States. The latest entry, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, focuses primarily on competitive multiplayer, with destructible environments creating unique tactical situations not found in other shooters. The game has received consistent content support and updates since it launched in 2015, with all post-release maps and characters available for free.

Three other films bearing the Tom Clancy name are also in development, though these are based on video game series created by French company Ubisoft. Splinter Cell follows lone wolf special agent Sam Fisher, played by Tom Hardy, while The Division is a post-apocalyptic tale starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain. Director Michael Bay is also developing a Ghost Recon film with Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Pictures, though little information has been given on the project recently.

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