Keira Knightley in negotiations to play the wife of Chris Pine in Jack Ryan

After dipping her toes back into the smaller side of filmmaking with a few dramas (ANNA KARENINA, NEVER LET ME GO, A DANGEROUS METHOD) and a comedy with Steve Carell (SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD), it looks like Keira Knightley is getting ready to take her not-unimpressive action acting chops back into the world of large-scale filmmaking with JACK RYAN.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh (who is also playing the villain) and starring Chris Pine as the titular Tom Clancy-created hero, JACK RYAN centers on “ex-Marine and Moscow-based financial analyst Jack Ryan, who uncovers a plot by his employer to finance a terrorist attack designed to collapse the U.S. economy. Ryan must race against time to save America and his wife.”  The wife in question would be played by Knightly, who was initially offered the role before the studio went around audition folks like Evangeline Lilly (REAL STEEL) and Felicity Jones (LIKE CRAZY).  Perhaps it was Branagh’s involvement that sparked Knightley’s interest and return to the negotiation table – whatever the reason for her renewed involvement, she’s in now and I say the movie is better for it.

Filming is scheduled to begin next month for what could very well be aiming to be a Holiday 2013 action release a la MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL.