Jack Ryan series co-creator responds to viral clip that 'predicted' US intervention in Venezuela

Jack Ryan series co-creator Carlton Cuse has spoken out about a resurfaced scene from the show that fans believe ‘predicted’ the recent US intervention in Venezuela.

Following the US military operation which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a 2019 scene from the Prime Video series went viral for seemingly mirroring the real-world event.

In the clip, CIA analyst Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) explains why Venezuela should be considered “a major threat on the world stage”, highlighting its oil and mineral wealth and strategic proximity to the US.

“Venezuela is arguably the single greatest resource of oil and minerals on the planet,” the character says.

Reacting to the six-year-old clip, Carlton Cuse told Deadline that the season was never about prophecy.

“What always surprises you as a storyteller is how often real-world events catch up to fiction," he said. "The goal of that season wasn’t prophecy — it was plausibility. When you ground a story in real geopolitical dynamics, reality has a way of making it rhyme."

Speaking about the choice of Venezuela as the subject of the series’ second season, he added: “Graham Roland and I weren’t making a statement – we were telling a fictional character-driven thriller rooted in Venezuela’s long-standing strategic relevance."

He continued: "Our job was to make the situation feel credible," adding that “the season came from our desire to tell a fictional story about the forces at play, not from imagining an outcome".

In the series, the Venezuelan storyline ends with the corrupt fictional president being exposed and removed through elections – a stark contrast to the reality, which involved a military operation by US special forces.

“Any time the United States uses force abroad, it’s a moment that deserves reflection,” Cuse said. “The consequences are born most significantly by people who have very little control over events. I can only hope things move toward stability and peace for the people living there.”

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