FIRST LOOK: Kenneth Branagh as the Villain in JACK RYAN

The upcoming film based on the characters created by popular novelist Tom Clancy is directed by Kenneth Branagh, who will also play its villain, and is scheduled for theatrical release in December 2013.

Starring Chris Pine (Star Trek) in the title role, Jack Ryan follows former Marine turned financial analyst Ryan who while living in Moscow uncovers a terrorist plot to devalue American currency and thus destroy the U.S. economy masterminded by Viktor Stazov, a financial wiz in league with the Russian government.

Kenneth Branagh, director of Marvel's Thor and recent star of My Week With Marilyn, will direct Jack Ryan as well as play it's villain. Keira Knightley will play Jack's wife Cathy. James Earl Jones is said to have a cameo in the film, reprising his role as Admiral Greer. Kevin Costner has signed on for the role of CIA Agent William Harper, the man who recruits and mentors Ryan as well as John Clark -- the main character in director Christopher McQuarrie's upcoming film Without Remorse. Harper will serve to tie the Jack and Clark franchises together similar to how Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury links Marvel Studios' films pre-Avengers. Chris Pine's This Means War co-star Tom Hardy is being pursued for the role of Clark.

Paramount Pictures will release Jack Ryan, which is currently filming in New York City, in theaters on December 25th, 2013.