Kevin Costner hired for two Tom Clancy pictures

There was a time when actor Kevin Costner could do no wrong in Hollywood. The success of his movies in the late '80s and early '90s made him one of the biggest stars in the world. But then he made "Waterworld" and "The Postman" in quick succession — two of the biggest movie flops in history — and it was as if Tinsel Town pretended they didn't know him anymore.

Though Costner has continued to work fairly steadily, it has been a long 15 years for the actor. The "Field of Dreams" star has mostly been relegated to smaller films and supporting roles in the years since "The Postman," but after snagging the role of Pa Kent in Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman reboot, "Man of Steel, " and destroying the ratings with the A&E miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys," Costner appears to be poised for a comeback.

This week, the Costner's fortunes continued to improve with news that he would be joining the relaunch of a major franchise. Deadline reports that Costner has signed on to play CIA recruiter William Harper in Paramount's long-gestating Jack Ryan series reboot, and a potential spin-off titled "Without Remorse." A veteran intelligence agent, Harper will tutor young CIA analyst Jack Ryan (played this time out by "Star Trek's" Chris Pine) and field operative John Clark (a character previously played by Willem Dafoe and Liev Schreiber in "Clear and Present Danger" and "The Sum of All Fears," respectively) in the ways of the spy game.

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For "Without Remorse," Paramount is said to be courting "Dark Knight Rises" star Tom Hardy for the role of Clark, a character who has played supporting roles in numerous Jack Ryan novels and featured in a few of his own, including "Rainbow Six." The studio has tapped director Christopher McQuarrie ("Way of the Gun," "Jack Reacher") to write and direct the film.

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With Costner set to play the same role in both films, it sounds as though Paramount is planning to build contiguous movie continuity in the vein of the recent Marvel Comics films — characters appearing across multiple films and the events of one movie impacting the others. Given the rich and intrigue-filled world that author Tom Clancy has constructed in over a dozen novels since 1984, it makes sense for the studio to take this world-building approach. Having a veteran actor like Costner to anchor both films in the same timeline (à la Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in the Marvel movie universe) will go a long way towards making the whole thing work.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh (who will also play the film's villain), the still-untitled Jack Ryan film is set for release sometime next year.