John Krasinski Gives Up Office Job to Save the World in First 'Jack Ryan' Trailer

The new Amazon series takes fans of the character -- made famous through books and films like "The Hunt for Red October" and "Patriot Games" -- all the way back to the beginning, before Jack Ryan was kicking ass and taking names. But we'll get to all of that real quick.

The first full-length trailer for the upcoming series introduces a young Jack Ryan who isn't lying when he tells a beautiful woman he's just an analyst! It's only after a helicopter drops in and whisks him away that he finds himself in uncharted territory and over his head.

Strategically, this arc makes sense for both the character and the audiece. Krasinski is still best known for his role as Jim Halpert, the slacker desk jockey from "The Office." It's quite a jump to go from that perception to suave action hero, so giving us a similar arc for Jack Ryan helps bring viewers on that journey with him, and makes us more likely to buy this new John Krasinski.

The trailer opens with Jack Ryan being asked by a Middle Eastern man if he often kidnaps people off the street and kidnaps them. "You're my first one, actually," Krasinski's Jack responds with a familiar smile. "How am I doing?"

We then cut back to find out how he found himself in this predicament. Turns out he was very good at his job and inadvertantly made himself the foremost expert on a new CIA target. Suddenly, it's wheels up on the way to Yemen and the beginning of a journey that will make him one of the world's foremost spies, and even president someday. But all that's in the distant future.

Krasinski is the fifth man to take on the iconic role, following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine. "Jack Ryan" is the first television project to feature the character, and it is not based on any particular novel.

Already renewed for a second season, the 10-episode first season of "Jack Ryan" premieres August 31 on Amazon Prime.