More Tom Clancy Movies Coming!

Two more Tom Clancy novels will find their way to the big screen with the help of Paramount Pictures. Stuart Beattie, fresh off the false rumors of him writing the next Indiana Jones film, will write an adaptation of WITHOUT REMORSE and John Enbom will take a stab at RAINBOW SIX. Both novels are based around CIA agent John Clark, the darker character Clancy invented as a break from his lovable hero, Jack Ryan, who was the focus in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, and THE SUM OF ALL FEARS. The John Clark character actually appeared in both DANGER (played by Willem Dafoe) and SUM (Liev Schreiber).

REMORSE centers on an ex-Navy SEAL who infiltrates a gang responsible for killing a woman he loved and then taking on a new name and life as John Clark. RAINBOW has Clark joining with several colleagues to leave the CIA and create an England-based multinational organization designed to battle terrorism. Yet another Clancy story, RED RABBIT, is also in Hollywood's future.

The thing about making movies from books is knowing what story elements can be removed without affecting the overall "tone" or point of the film.

Personally, I believe that UQ could live as a movie without the history lesson, for one good reason: The central concept of the latter half of the book, that is, the persecution of law-abiding citizens by corrupt politicians and unelected beureocrats, and the results of such persecution on "the wrong man", is still an excellent and gripping tale without the history.

You do not need to trace the entire history of gun ownership in America to introduce the character of Henry Bowman himself. You just need some time to set him up as what he is...a member fo America's Gun Culture which has existed since this nation's founding. It could be explained what licenses and permits he keeps, what weapons and where, and so forth. He is portrayed as a law-abiding, proper and prosperous citizen.

Then, his life is turned upside down by agenda-driven BATF agents who care nothing for what he may or may not have done, and everything about their budget and careers.

MANY Americans have been through similar trials with gov't agencies to one degree or another. This, if presented correctly, would strike a hell of a chord.

The third act would be Henry's campaign to fight back, presented as was in the book...less a blatant shoot--em-up than a war of wits and tension that he fights primarily with his mind and skills at life.

Three hours, you've got it. And many people outside of Washington, NY, and LA would line up to see it and cheer once they did.

WITHOUT REMORSE

They might not butcher this one too much. Although I bet they leave out the little pissant left wing Congressional aide (to a character than envokes ,for me anyway, McGovern) that was helping the VC/NVA by passing info to the KGB. "Mr. Clark" took care of that one, and his buddy was "turned" to pass false information to the KGB. (Agent Cassius IIRC). to include them would be even less PC than the nuclear terrorists in "Sum of All Fears" being middle eastern.

Red Rabbit and Rainbow Six, were ghosted. They just didn't READ like a genuine Clancy Book

I agree, they didn't. But I think the latest one, "The Teeth of the Tiger", which involves young Jack the son born in "Patriot games", does. Maybe he just got a better ghost writer? Either way, it's a vast improvement over "Red Rabbit", which is the only Clancy I've not reread. "Red Storm Rising" is still my far and away favorite though. Although I enjoyed "Red October", which I first read parts of in the Naval Institute Proceedings. SUM and RAINBOW I didn't really care for much, but "The Bear and the Dragon" I liked. So it's not so much a case of degradation over time, but rather of spotty quality. Or at least of spotty appeal to my preferences. :)

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