Jack Ryan on Prime Video paved the way for a perfect sequel almost three years ago. While the show ended its run on a fairly satisfying note with season 4, it did not shy away from setting the stage for a potential spin-off. Unfortunately, as exciting as the spin-off had previously seemed, it has struggled to see the light of day.
Prime Video was still finding its feet in the action thriller genre when Jack Ryan first premiered in 2018. However, the show soon became one of Prime Video’s biggest action thriller hits, eventually paving the way for more book-to-screen detective thriller adaptations like Reacher, Cross, and The Terminal List.
While many other action thriller franchises on Prime Video have grown from strength to strength over the years, even the Jack Ryan series has expanded its lore beyond the main show. For instance, the new movie, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War, continues the franchise beyond John Krasinski’s original series by introducing a new chapter in the spy universe.
Unlike the movie, however, another planned follow-up for the Jack Ryan series never truly happened even though it seemed like a promising extension of the franchise.
How Jack Ryan Set Up A Rainbow Six Spinoff Starring Michael Peña
Michael Peña’s Domingo “Ding” Chavez was positioned as the leading man of a prospective Rainbow Six spin-off series after Jack Ryan season 4. In Tom Clancy’s original books, Chavez is a prominent figure, introduced as a former Army operative recruited into CIA black ops. He eventually goes on to become the leader of the Rainbow Six, which is a multinational counter-terrorism organization.
Even the show’s final installment featured him as an off-the-books CIA operative who was initially involved in a rogue covert program. After he realized his black-ops unit was corrupted by internal CIA leadership, he even teamed up with Jack Ryan and Mike November to expose the rogue elements inside the agency.
His transition from a disillusioned hitman to his original moral roots served as the perfect plot bridge to a Rainbow Six spin-off.
Before Jack Ryan season 4’s ending credits started rolling, Domingo Chavez felt like a fully vindicated and lethal operative in the global intelligence network. After ending Jack Ryan’s story on a fairly conclusive note, it made sense for the Prime Video franchise to expand its lore by focusing on Chavez’s narrative.
Unfortunately, after all these years, it looks like the Jack Ryan spin-off/follow-up will never truly materialize. While the Jack Ryan franchise might see more potential follow-ups in the future, the Rainbow Six spin-off with Michael Peña’s Domingo “Ding” Chavez as the lead is not happening.
Why Jack Ryan’s Rainbow Six Spinoff Never Happened
While many factors have seemingly contributed to the spin-off show’s cancellation, the biggest roadblock it experienced was rights complications surrounding the Rainbow Six brand and character rights. Prime Video produced the Jack Ryan television series. However, character rights within the larger Tom Clancy universe are split between different films and TV entities.
Although Prime Video was determined to extend the Jack Ryan franchise with the Rainbow Six spin-off, it struggled to acquire or clear the necessary rights required to move forward with a standalone project. Paramount and Amazon had also previously adapted Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse (2021) starring Michael B. Jordan as John Clark, who is portrayed as the founder of the Rainbow Six. A Rainbow Six-centered movie was also planned with Michael B. Jordan as the lead. With two distinct projects focusing on the same story beat, creative overlaps and fiction eventually held both projects from seeing the light of day.
Given how it has been a while since Jack Ryan ended its TV run with season 4, it seems unlikely its potential spin-off extension will be reconsidered. However, if the rights and licensing hurdles surrounding the Rainbow Six property are eventually resolved, the concept could still be revived in a different form.
Until then, the planned Rainbow Six series remains one of the most promising Jack Ryan franchise extensions that never made it past development.