Chris Pine will star in STAR TREK before playing Jack Ryan due to script delays

It looks like audiences will see Chris Pine back on the deck of the Enterprise in a Star Trek sequel before he plays Jack Ryan. Paramount Pictures had initially planned to shoot the latter first, but had to change those plans becuase of issues with the script. It's still not known if J.J. Abrams will direct the sequel at this time.

The news of this setback comes on the heels of Steve Zaillian departing the project. As we reported last month, Zaillian (writer of Clear and Present Danger did and uncredited rewrite on Patriot Games) had signed on to rewrite the reboot script but had a change of heart and has now withdrawn. Paramount has already begun interviewing other writers to join the project. Jack Bender (Lost) is still attached to direct, but he isn't pay or play and could walk. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing.

Jack Ryan was first created by Tom Clancy in his bestselling book series, but the new film is an origin story that started with screenwriter Hossein Amini. Hossein Amini, Adam Cozad, Anthony Peckham have all worked on the script. The launching point of the film is one that gets a mention in Clancy's The Hunt for Red October, in the book and the original film that starred Alec Baldwin. It has to do with a terrifying helicopter crash that nearly killed Ryan when he was a 23-year old platoon leader in the US Marines. He was the only member of the platoon to survive. Deadline reports that "an OK version of Ryan could have been put into production this year, but the priority is more about launching a new franchise then filling a release slot."

The studio plans to get the Star Trek sequel into production by the fall so that the studio can keep that film's projected June 29, 2012 release date. The script is currently being polished by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof.

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