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Jack Ryan: Ghost War ending explained: What's next for Jack Ryan?
John Krasinski has returned to play the CIA analyst for a new film on Prime Video.
Jonny Cournoyer / Prime Video
- Patrick Cremona
Published: Thursday, 21 May 2026 at 9:57 am
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John Krasinski has returned to his role as CIA Agent Jack Ryan for a new movie spin-off, three years after the hit TV show adaptation of Tom Clancy's novels reached it's conclusion.
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The film – which is now streaming on Prime Video – is of course not the first time the character has appeared in a feature length production, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford among the high-profile actors to have portrayed Tom Clancy's creation in the past.
But it does mark the first film for this particular iteration of the character, which ran for four seasons between 2018 and 2023.
In the film, Jack is brought back into the CIA fold from his civilian life, tasked with helping his old allies fight a dangerous new threat in the form of a rogue Black Ops unit led by vengeance-seeking agent Liam Crown (Max Beesley).
The reviews for Jack Ryan: Ghost War haven't exactly been sparkling – we described it as "nothing more than a bland TV movie" in our own 2-star write-up – but if you're a fan of the show you might still have got something out of it.
So, if you have watched the film and need the final moments unpacked – or are wondering what's next for the character – read on to have the Jack Ryan: Ghost War ending explained.
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Jack Ryan: Ghost War ending explained: How do they get the better of Project Starling?
The film revolves around Jack and his allies trying to get the better of Project Starling – a network that had originally been involved in counter-terrorism work before going rogue.
The network is led by Liam Crown, and although it had been originated as a legitimate project, Crown had begun leading in an increasingly dangerous and unethical manner, which had led it to be shut down by CIA deputy director James Greer (Wendell Pierce), who had been instrumental in setting up the network in the first place.
Now, Crown has reactivated the network with a view to getting revenge on Greer, and this is the mission which Jack has been called in to assist with – eventually also with the help of MI6 agent Emma Marlowe (Sienna Miller), who he slowly learns he can trust.
Following a few twists and turns – including the discovery that Emma's MI6 boss Andrew Spear (JJ Feild) was a traitor working for Crown – this eventually leads them to a final confrontation in Dubai.
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Their goal is to complete a mission that Nigel Cooke (Douglas Hodge) had been in the process of carrying out before he was killed in the film's opening action sequence.
It turns out that Nigel had got the full lowdown on Crown's entire operation and was planning to expose it to the world, a case which Jack and Emma now pick up (with some help from Adam Bernett's CIA tech boffin, Patrick). Of course, Crown is also one step ahead and has a legion of men in pursuit.
Jack and Emma manage to worm their way inside the under-attack building that contains the servers they need access to, and Jack is successful in recovering the data. Not everything goes according to plan, however, with Emma shot and injured by Crown.
But thankfully, the good guys get the win in the end: Greer arrives in a helicopter and opens fire on Crown's men, while Jack fatally shoots the main villain himself. Mission accomplished!
What's next for Jack Ryan: will there be another film?
In the final moments we learn that Greer is to be promoted to CIA director. And his pick for his new deputy? None other than Jack himself. The film ends with the pair reporting for duty in their new roles, so it's safe to say the stage is set for more adventures if the appetite is there.
And it seems it very well could be. Krasinski recently told ScreenRant that he "would love to" make more films in the series, adding: "I think that we all found that being in a different format just means you can tell different kinds of stories. I think we have more stories to tell."
We'll just have to wait and see what those stories might be – and whether Ghost War is successful enough on Prime Video for those stories to be green lit. We'll keep you updated as soon as we hear anything concrete.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War is now streaming on Prime Video. All four seasons of Jack Ryan are also available to stream now – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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Authors
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
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