“Rainbow Six” topped the New York Times bestseller list upon release, and was popular enough to spawn an entire video game series that began in 1998. There’s also been talk of a film adaptation since 2017, back when Ryan Reynolds’ name was in the running for the lead role. THR reports that Paramount’s current plan is to release “Rainbow Six” theatrically, but that’s subject to change.
It’s unclear at this point how closely “Rainbow Six” will follow the plot of Clancy’s novel, but if it does hew close to the source material, all involved will have to be careful about the way the film handles its tricky subject matter. Namely, the book involves a vast conspiracy, one that centers around a deadly virus that’s purposely released as part of a scheme to kill off a large part of the world’s population with a sham vaccine.
I frankly don’t know how any of this can be done on screen in 2023 without dangerously stoking the flames of conspiracy among viewers who are eager to find support for their unfounded claims, but there’s also no confirmation that the film will adhere closely to these elements of book’s plot.
“Rainbow Six” has no set release date.