Boston College “alumnus” Jack Ryan, a character created by the late best-selling author Tom Clancy, returns to the screen as the title hero of the new Amazon Prime series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.” Ryan, a CIA analyst, is played by Newton, Mass. native John Krasinski, perhaps best known for his role as Jim Halpert in “The Office.” Jack Ryan appeared in many of Clancy’s books, including The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears, among others. Clancy is believed to have based the Jack Ryan character on a high school friend who attended BC and became a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot in Vietnam. The first season of the series is available beginning August 31.  More from BC News