Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six was a riveting novel that later became a collection of realistic and incredibly fun tactical shooter games. Helping revolutionize the first-person shooter genre, the Rainbow Six narrative has become a household name for longtime fans of the genre. However, it wasn't the action that made the games so iconic so much as it was the tactical approach and strategy a player must use to surround and overwhelm large groups of enemies. While the game series brought action to the forefront, it had yet to branch out into film or television -- until now.
Tom Clancy's Without Remorse had a film adaptation that starred Michael B. Jordan as John Kelly, a man on a revenge mission to avenge the death of his wife. However, in typical Tom Clancy fashion, a simple mission unraveled into a political conspiracy threatening the country. Now, with Jordan's character back in action, Rainbow Six will serve as a follow-up to Without Remorse, having Kelly take on the name of John Clark, the main character and leader of Rainbow Six in the novel. With this being the first time the series has been adapted to live-action, there are some aspects tied to the Rainbow Six games and Tom Clancy's other video game adaptations that fans would be more than happy to see brought to life.
The Rainbow Six Film Could Borrow From Many of the Franchise's Best Games
Over the years, Rainbow Six has evolved into a narrative-based story revolving around stealth missions in a multiplayer experience where friends could work together to complete missions against everything from terrorists to alien creatures. The franchise's latest outing, Rainbow Six: Extraction, has evolved the franchise to keep up with other titles. However, a film that takes things back to basics would be a must for an initial foray into live-action. That said, the direction being taken would garner a list of musts that have come from some of the franchise's best games.
In terms of a cinematic narrative, there's no better icebreaker than an adaptation of Rainbow Six Vegas. With Sin City taken over by terrorists, it would offer an actual location that audiences could connect with while offering particular battles that are fan favorites from the game, such as Downtown Vegas. However, the tactics are the game's main draw, and current titles like Rainbow Six: Siege have mastered the many ways players can plan an attack and execute it with precision. Seeing this on the big screen along with elements of the games like drones and wall breaches would be a great move that could both look accurate and strike a chord of nostalgia for fans.
Rainbow Six Could Help Expand Tom Clancy's Cinematic Universe
With Rainbow Six being a follow-up to another of Clancy's works, it naturally opens doors of possibility for a future regarding adaptations of Clancy's many other video game titles. With Rainbow Six being a straightforward title on its own, it's easy to have tactical scenarios adapted from what fans have done in the game. However, those fans would also love to see movie incarnations of equally beloved titles like Splinter Cell. Since Rainbow is a worldwide collective of soldiers fighting against terrorism, it would make sense that there would be other organizations at work in John Clark's world. Because of this, even a name-drop of Third Echelon would entice fans who have long awaited a live-action adaptation of Sam Fisher's adventures.
Furthermore, as other Tom Clancy games have shown, if Third Echelon exists, this could mean a more globetrotting version of the Rainbow Six team that could be brought to life with Ghost Recon. Because there are so few named characters in these games, adapting them would allow for creative freedom that could make the films as realistic or bombastic as possible. With Tom Clancy titles setting a standard for first and third-person shooters, Rainbow Six could do the same for movies, introducing a story that nods to fans' desires and building a larger narrative by alluding to other hit series.