| Back in March, reports surfaced that Thor director Kenneth Branagh was in talks to tackle Paramount’s long-developing Jack Ryan reboot. Now, not only is he signed to sit in the director’s chair, but he’s also found the perfect person to play he films’ villain. By… er… looking in the mirror. Yes, Branagh is listed by the Hollywood Reporter as in negotiations to play Viktor Stazov, a Russian financial who, with the help of his government, crafts a plan to devalue American currency thereby destroying the US economy. Frankly, the way things are going, he hardly needs to bother, but these villains are always impatient. Chris Pine will be the young Ryan, at this point a former Marine working as a financial analyst in Moscow who uncovers the scheme. With Pine now finished shooting the Star Trek sequel, Paramount will most likely plan to get this thing into production as soon as it can, particularly now it has nailed down one other big role without going beyond the director’s office. We’re left wondering whether Branagh made himself audition. We’d kill to see that tape… | 
