Published Jan 30, 2026, 9:44 PM EST
The anticipated Ding Chavez Jack Ryan spinoff show never ended up happening, and actor Michael Peña now explains why. Peña was introduced as Chavez in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan season 4, and the former SEAL was expected to return in a spinoff called Rainbow Six.
In a recent interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, Peña suggests that rights issues could be responsible for the Rainbow Six spinoff show failing to happen. Though the actor admits that this is mostly speculation on his part, he does say that Without Remorse's (2021) move from theatrical to streaming could also have been a factor.
"I think it was like, they couldn't get the character," Peña says. After Crowley clarifies that he's talking about the rights, the actor launches into more detail about the cancelled series. Read Peña's comment below:
"I think so because I thought we were going to shoot like a year earlier. And then it turns out that they were fighting for the rights of the character. And then I think with the spinoff, people wanted it and I think that posed a problem too. And also I think there were some other problems because [Tom Clancy's Without Remorse] was supposed to be in theaters, but then they dropped it on [Prime Video]. So I think money was owed.
Who knows? None of this is confirmed, but I was really surprised, especially with how well received that character was that there wasn't a spinoff. But instead I got to do All Her Fault, which is pretty good."
Domingo "Ding" Chavez plays a relatively prominent role in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan season 4, serving as a key ally to John Krasinski's titular CIA hero. The flagship series was seemingly meant to set up the Peña spinoff, but reports in the months following season 4 suggested that it wasn't as much of a sure thing as it initially appeared.
Instead of a Jack Ryan season 5, Krasinski's character will return as the Clancy character in an upcoming feature film, which doesn't yet have a release date.
Peña's Ding Chavez Jack Ryan spinoff was part of a larger expansion of the Amazon franchise. Without Remorse, which is also a Clancy adaptation, introduced Michael B. Jordan as Navy SEAL John Kelly. The action thriller, which hailed from director Stefano Sollima, was supposed to release in theaters, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw the film move from Paramount to Amazon, and it ended up debuting on Prime Video.
The film may not have earned glowing reviews, but it was a viewership success for Amazon. Interestingly, the film is supposed to be getting a sequel, which is thought to also be called Rainbow Six. John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski is attached to the project, but progress has been slow-going.
The name Rainbow Six refers to the elite counter-terrorism unit from Clancy's novels. Founded by Kelly, Chavez ultimately becomes a key leader of the Rainbow team. It's not entirely clear what relationship was planned between the spinoff show and the Without Remorse sequel, if any.
It's possible that, in addition to the factors Peña outlines above, the Jack Ryan spinoff show hasn't moved forward because of the Rainbow Six movie. It could be confusing for audiences to have a show and a movie exploring the same fictional unit, and maybe Amazon has chosen to focus on Stahelski's movie instead.
That being said, no positive updates have arrived for the Stahelski project in some time, meaning it's not known what its status is. For now, though, Peña's comments make clear that audiences shouldn't be expecting a Ding Chavez Jack Ryan spinoff anytime soon.
Created by Tom Clancy
First Episode Air Date August 31, 2018
English (US) ·