Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., and Skydance Productions announced today that principal photography has begun on Jack Ryan, from Academy Award-nominated director Kenneth Branagh, starring Chris Pine, Academy Award-nominated Keira Knightley and Academy Award-nominated Kevin Costner. The film is shooting in New York, Moscow and London and is slated for release on December 25, 2013.

Based on the Jack Ryan character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, the film is a contemporary action thriller set in the present day. The original story, written by David Koepp (Angels & Demons, War of the Worlds), follows a young Jack as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura (the Transformers franchise, Red) will produce through his Di Bonaventura Pictures banner, along with Mace Neufeld (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games) and David Barron (the Harry Potter franchise). David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake of Skydance Productions (Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, True Grit) will executive produce along with Tommy Harper (Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol).

Jack Ryan stars Pine (Star Trek, Rise of the Guardians) as the title character;Knightley (Anna Karenina, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) as his fiancé Cathy Muller; Costner (Hatfields & McCoys, Dances with Wolves) as Ryan's CIA handler Harper; and Peter Andersson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy) as security agent Dmitri Lemkov. Branagh, in addition to directing the film, will take on the role of Russian oligarch Viktor Cherevin.