The Tom Clancy character John Clark, who’s like Jack Ryan except not a boring desk jockey, is finally getting his own franchise. Variety reports that Paramount has tapped Michael B. Jordan to play the hero in a new series. The studio is developing two movies for the character, with an origin story planned for an adaptation of Without Remorse followed up by a sequel based on Rainbow Six.

Before you get too excited, Variety also notes “Akiva Goldsman, who’s heading the new “Transformers” universe, will also be spearheading this endeavor as the film’s main producer with Jordan, Josh Appelbaum, and Corin Nemec also producing.” Despite Goldsman’s atrocious track record (I don’t know how you watch Winter’s Tale and let him anywhere near a film again), Paramount seems to like the guy as they’ve involved him with Transformers and Star Trek, the studio’s marquee franchises.

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Photo by Barry Wetcher / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures

Per Variety, “Clark, a.k.a. John Terrence Kelly, is an ex-Navy Seal-turned-operations officer for the CIA and would go on to appear in 17 novels starting with 1988’s’The Cardinal of the Kremlin.’ Though mainly seen as a secondary character who helps CIA analysis Jack Ryan with more of the physical elements of any mission, Clark finally stepped into the spotlight with ‘Without Remorse,’ which tells his backstory on how he came to work for the CIA.”

Paramount reportedly landed Jordan by promising him his own film franchise rather than just an origin story, so it will be interesting to see if the studio forges ahead with Rainbow Six regardless of how Without Remorse performs.

If you remove Goldsman from the equation, you have an exciting prospect for a franchise. Jordan is a talented, charismatic star, and Clark is a good, solid character that hasn’t been done to death like Jack Ryan. Hopefully the Goldsman factor doesn’t drag this one down and Jordan will have another successful franchise to his name.

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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via 20th Century Fox