Following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck, Chris Pine is tackling the plum role of CIA analyst Jack Ryan in the upcoming reboot of the espionage series based on the books of Tom Clancy.

Although the film -- tentatively titled "Jack Ryan" -- just started production this month, Paramount is eager to show fans that they mean business. They've already released a photo of Pine in action, zooming through the streets on a motorcycle. "Ryan" follows the title character's early days as he joins the CIA, and the studio is hoping to use it to kickstart a new franchise. It's unknown if they plan to eventually remake the previous films, or if they'll stick to the Clancy books that have yet to be turned into films.

The film also stars Keira Knightly as Ryan's wife, Kevin Costner as his superior and Kenneth Branagh as a Russian villain. Branagh is also directing. He most recently directed "Thor" for Marvel Studios. 

Pine is used to filling the shoes of an iconic screen character -- he took over the role of Captain Kirk from William Shatner in 2009's "Star Trek" reboot and will soon be seen in "Star Trek 2." 

"Jack Ryan" will hit theaters December 25, 2013.