Clancy's CIA Franchise Headed Back To Theaters

Author Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan franchise could be headed for a revival, VARIETY reports.

Paramount Pictures is in negotiations with Sam Raimi to develop and direct a series of four films (produced Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Raimi's Buckaroo Entertainment partner Josh Donen) centered around the CIA analyst character.

Ryan has already been played by three actors in four mega hit movies for Paramount since 1990.

The new Raimi projects would feature Ryan at a younger age than he has been previously depicted, and could possibly take place in the present with action triggered by a global threat.

Paramount will hire a writer to pen a script for Raimi to shoot after he completes Universal's DRAG ME TO HELL, for release in summer 2010.

Alec Baldwin portrayed the original Ryan in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER in 1990, but bailed for Broadway for the second, PATRIOT GAMES. Harrison Ford picked up the character, also playing him in 1994's CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER.

Ben Affleck most recently played Ryan in THE SUM OF ALL FEARS.

Collectively, the films grossed $781.5 million worldwide.

Clancy has yet to finish a new Ryan novel, so Paramount has not decided if it will use the source material or come up with an original story. As owners of the rights to the Ryan character, they get first look at the new novel.

Raimi, the director of all three SPIDER-MAN movies, is also not out of the running to direct a fourth, but would have to direct a Ryan film right after DRAG ME to make a 2010 release date.