According to THR, Keira Knightley is in negotiations to star opposite Chris Pine in Paramount's Jack Ryan. She will play the female lead, beating out opposition in the form of Evangeline Lilly and Felicity Jones. The movie will be directed by Kenneth Branagh, who is also playing the villain. The film is a prequel to Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series of books, which produced previous movies starring Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. Adam Cozad and Anthony Peckham wrote the screenplay, while David Koepp penned the most recent draft.