Poor Matt Damon's got to be somewhat sick of answering questions about the Jason Bourne series, a franchise he's ostensibly not in any more. Or at least, not for now. In case you're living under a rock, Damon and Paul Greengrass walked away from a "Bourne 4" in late 2009 for several reasons, but one of them being a chief creative one: Jason Bourne had discovered who he was, no longer had full amnesia and his story arc had been completed.
No one seemed to know where to take the story next and after commissioning two different screenplays, that neither the actor nor director liked, the duo said thanks, but no thanks. So fast forward to present day. Tony Gilroy, the screenwriter who masterminded the entire trilogy, stepped up, conceived of a new idea without Jason Bourne, created "The Bourne Legacy," and found a new star in Jeremy Renner ('Legacy' deals with the ramifications of "The Bourne Ultimatum" and how it affects other Treadstone-like Black Ops programs and its assassins). While Jason Bourne, the charater is still alive and referenced in "The Bourne Legacy," outside of mug-shot photos, he's not in it, presumably gone into hiding somewhere. Gilroy and Universal have left the door open for Damon to return.
And as he's always said, Damon is open to returning to the franchise, if, and that big if, is if there's a good script. “Look, I’ve been interested in doing another one for five years,” Damon said during the "Elysium" panel at Comic-Con, sounding somewhat annoyed at Crave for suggesting he'd suddenly changed his mind. “We just can’t figure out the script. I’m up for it, but again it’s all about the script, It’s got to be a good one."
In a separate interview with ComingSoon, Damon reiterated the same sentiment, and again, stressed the story has to justify its existence and there cannot simply be a sequel for sequel's sake. "I really want to do another one and I think Paul Greengrass does too," he said, "But I think it's the same question we've had after each one. If we really feel we can do it and that it will deserve to live with the other three that we did. If we can make one where we go into it feeling it can be even better than those, and it ends up being in that same ballpark, then we should do it. But If we can't, then we really should leave it alone."
OK, so check, two interviews of what Damon has said all along since he and Greengrass walked away from the series. But in a separate interview with E!Online in San Diego, Damon suggested that if "The Bourne Legacy" breaks out in its own right, Gilroy and Renner could ostensibly move on without him.
"I think the movie will be really good," Damon said of this new 'Bourne' iteration. "Tony [Gilroy] is really smart, he's a really good writer and a really good director and I'm sure he made a good movie. The question will be if they can franchise that movie, because if they can, then they'll be done with me. They'll just keep making those."
And franchising the new series is definitely the plan, something that Gilroy confirmed to us in an interview last month that will roll out closer to August 10th when "The Bourne Legacy" hits theaters. But perhaps Damon is just being modest. If "The Bourne Legacy" is a huge hit, he's probably correct that the series can move on without him. But surely throngs of fans of the series would love to see Jason Bourne return one day. Like longtime 'Bourne' series producer Frank Marshall said, his "dream" is to have a Bourne film that stars both Renner and Damon.
That may be easier said than done considering the past friction between Damon and Gilroy, not to mention the fact Damon's gone on record several times saying he'll only make another 'Bourne' film with director Paul Greengrass. But if 'Legacy' is a hit, and Gilroy then owns the keys to the franchise, how does Damon step back in? And why would Gilroy step aside, take momentum away from his own new trilogy, just so Damon and Greengrass can tell their own story? Complicated stuff to say the least. One thing's for sure, if 'Legacy' is a hit and Damon wants to return (something Universal would be over the moon about), there's going to have to be a serious come to Jesus moment by a lot of parties involved.
The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner was so bad that I only watched bits and pieces and add that anther very poor actor Edward was included in the movie destroyed the movie, the Legacy never should have been made, and please Keep both Renner and Norton out of future Bourne movies, why should we waste our money watching non talented actors
Would LOVE to see Damon and Renner,Weiss,& Damon\’s female lead all together. What a cool film that would be…
Please keep Matt and Julia in the next Bourne Film. I am sure there are some unsolved Secret CIA crime needing to be uncovered. THINK Writers Don\’t let the Public down. We love all the players in the these movies. GREAT STUFF
Go with Robert Ludlum (first 3) or Eric Van Lustbader (last 3), the Bourne books kill the movies any day. Robert Ludlum was great creating a world where he was Bourne to write.
In my script the older wiser Jason Bourne would be searching for Renner because Treads tone has turned everything inside out in the courtroom and it looks like the good guys are going to take the fall. Renner would be on the defense because he is on the run and no longer the "weapon" he was designed to be and Bourne has to convince him that only if they work together will finally be able to bring Treadstone down and set the record straight.
An idea for a script could be Renner searching for Damon. Damon finds out and goes on the run again. Later discovering Renners intention to team up and destroy the people behind it all. Meaning no more running and no more hiding. There could be an epic fight scene between the 2 aswell.
Renner was great so I think that's the new way. Both actors in would be even better.
jason bourne is incomplete wdout matt damon coz he was the main man to play the movie n we want back him in d next movie of jason bourne.no1 can compete him.love u matt.
We want matt damon….
there are all sorts of ways to revive the storyline. the only bad part of the first 3 films was a storyline that was incredibly sparse/lacking in detail, even by action movie standards.
the way it was shot, and matt damon's acting ability and the subject matter of the spy program etc were all good enough to make the films successful anyway.
but the plot could be seriously improved and fleshed out more, and if that happens, bourne could have a movie focused on his time away to get everyone up to speed again with what hes been up to in hiding, 3 more movies like the first 3 that just feature bourne, and 1or 2 movies with both bourne and aaron cross in them b4 the franchise gets rebooted or becomes like a 007 type franchise with same main character and a flurry of different actors in lead role like everyone involved with franchise has always seemingly wanted it to become one day since they started it.
if greengrass still refuses to come back another year or two from now, damon should come back without him b4 he gets too old to be believeable in the action scenes since it seems bourne was designed to be a young hyperactive character that attacks faster then seems possible almost.
I enjoyed the Bourne Legacy but would love to see a Bourne 5 with both Damon and Renner working together!! I think they could make it work. Hope they can work it out. I think the Bourne fans would love it!
I didn't like the move into drug related 'supermen'. This was NOT in the original three movies – Bourne was brainwashed but did not rely on drugs. What kind of message will this send out to the young film watcher?
Go back to Robert Ludlum's idea of Bourne. Don't spoil a good thing.
No offense but Legacy is goddamn awful, from the way he failed his training by losing his pills, flirting with a bio-chemist in a lab, to ultimately relying on pills to stay strong is just absolutely poor plot.
All those rockets, cheap pinoy labors and especially the dwarf sized Philippines policemen, are such turn off(not being racist, if you remember police in Moscow, Zurich, etc, they look much realistic than those in Legacy) when they are 'trying' to stop a supposed 'assassin'. Renner or the director doesn't have the genuine idea of the feelings of assassins, Aaron Cross smiled way too much, too relaxed, and his combat scenes are too robotic and unrealistic.
To sum it up, Aaron Cross can't even match a fellow assassin in the entire movie, in fact, the bio-chemist he flirted with applied the finishing touches to end an assassin's life while Aaron Cross is struggling for balance on a bike when he knows he's not in a condition to ride one.
If Renner is going to feature in Bourne 5, don't expect me to hit the cinemas.
I think Renner and Damon should do the next Bourne together; the best of BOTH worlds.
I think Jeremy Renner , Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton did a good job in Bourne Legacy, however I am looking forward to Matt Damon as returning as "Jason Bourne".
Despite Renner's fine performance, I am looking forward to Damon returning in the next movie.
Whatever happens, Jeremy has done a fine job, but I am looking forward
I walked out of legacy and got a refund after googling and realizing Damon wasn't going to appear and turn the unrealistic abilities and super human crap I was seeing into something watchable. I'm hoping Damon had some time to write or at least get some plot points down since he can write incredible yet realistic and gritty character and storylines that were similar to the 1st three movies.
No offense to Renner but I don't want to see Bourne in the title only to not see him or have writing like the first three. I may even have watched it had it not been labeled as Bourne and I see no reason they couldn't be an Alex cross series or them to partner up in a movie making many storylines and avenues to explore. The superhuman abilities crap though was just a truly awful idea.
I hope Matt Damon appears in the next Movie. Its really a nice movie, lots of action and content in it.
Whoops, sorry I posted 2 of the same things… but anyways, If you are reading this Tony Gilroy, you should really let Matt Damon come back, he is a good actor and him and Renner will be a hit. You should also allow Greengrass to come back and help with the film too. You have to do this, it will make LOTS of money. By the way…Legacy was really good 🙂
Matt Damon definitely has to come back…I've seen all the movies and ALL of them were great. I think the first 3 had an awesome story to it, and Matt Damon did very well in them. I also thought Legacy was equally as good. Jeremy Renner did well too, and thought he was a nice touch to the series. In my opinion, I think in the 5th, Bourne (Damon) Cross (Renner) should link up and be a team to 'finish what Bourne started.' SO PLEASE COME BACK DAMON! AND YOU TOO RENNER! YOU GUYS WILL BE AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Matt Damon definitely has to come back…I've seen all the movies and ALL of them I thought were amazing, the first three had a very good story to it, and Matt Damon did very well playing his part. I think the fourth one was a hit also, Jeremy Renner did well in Legacy and I enjoyed it just as much as the first 3. In my opinion, I think that both Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner should do the 5th together, link up and be one team and finish what Bourne started. SO COME BACK DAMON! Bourne is calling… YOU TOO RENNER! YOU GUYS WILL BE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For is important the movies continued with Matt Damon, becouse Jason Bourne is Matt Damon.
Another actor to Jason Bourne, is perseflage and no good. Sorry.
Matt Damon is JASONBOURNE
yeah no matt damon no bourne. so i hope thay will make a new bourne movie so matt damon can go make whatever the story is. cos he was the bourne and always be. so hope to see u soon matt damon
I am a big fan of the bourne movies and would love to see both bourne and cross on the next movie
I was very excited to read that a New Bourne Movie is going to be released, but as I read Damon is no more Bourne I can't digest this. No Damon No Bourne.
Seroously? I am not sold on the angle they are going with.. sounds a bit xmen to me. Greast cadt.. and the flick seems to have some style. But the obvious jumping off point.. did bourne get it all back? Why did he choose to join treadston. Who was jason bourne? We never met the real bourne.. in the books bourne murdered webb's family and was a traitor. When he joined treadstone he took on the identity.. speaking of.. why the identity? Ehat was its purpose? All things covered in the first book that wss a great open area to mine for a fourth film.. too bad they never went that way with it.
No Damon, no movie. You don't remove the main guy and think that is going to appeal to the original viewers, do you? Sure, you will have new viewers and they may think that is good, but you lost the ones before, and that is a huge loss in movie revenue. Will see who's right at the end.
Personally, I think this is an ingenious way to expand the franchise. I'm all for another Damon 'Bourne' movie, but they have the unique opportunity to create and explore a larger world outside of David Webb's story. While it would be cool to see both Bourne and Cross in the same movie at some point, I think they should consider just letting the Cross story move along its own trajectory for the immediate future. There's no reason why they can't have a Cross trilogy, bring Bourne back for his own fourth film, create more off-shoots of the franchise, and then consider crossover films down the road.
.
I'm looking forward to this.
It will all depend on how they end "Legacy". It appears quite clear to me that "Legacy" is a companion piece to the Bourne series, in that it takes place in parallel to the Jason Bourne films. Thus they would have to find a reason to bring Jason back into the mix. He ended his run with a threat to the powers that be to leave him alone. Perhaps that is what is needed for a premise to be created to bring both characters together and for the CIA to try and "finish the job" of the Treadstone cleanup. It isn't impossible, it just requires more than 2 dimensional imagination to figure it out.
That is very upsetting that they couldn't come up with a plot. All they needed to do was re watch the other 3 movies before it!!! First question, who are Jason's parents? was he an orphan? who else was in his group?? What ever happened between Bourne and Julia Styles character. They alluded to a relationship but never explained where and how it developed and how it ended. They should of took the step of filling in all the gaps. How did he learn the languages? Show the training he received, injections. Show how they recruited the people. Did Jason have siblings? There were so many questions I have answered I was really looking forward to a Bourne, and then when it comes out its with totally new people. That makes absolutely no sense. I will not be supporting the Legacy with Jeremy Renner. He may be great but he is no Matt Damon!!!!
I think that I was under that 'proverbial rock' because I didn't know that Damon had walked away from the Bourne movies. I kept thinking how could they make another Bourne without Matt Damon. Now, I see. But I probably won't be seeing the movie. It just won't be the same. As we look at the sequels to other movies, all of the original characters are there. In the "Dark Knight Rises," Bale is there, Freeman is there, and even the guy who played the butler is there. The only person missing is Heath Ledger, of course, because he died. But the other main characters are there.
In the Bourne Legacy, all of the characters are back, including "Pamela Landy," and the guy who was supposed to be in jail, "Noah Vossen," I believe. If they wanted to bring those characters back, then they should have made some sort of deal to bring the original Bourne (Jason) back; if only in cameos. Let's say, bring him back on the part where he jumped in the lake and his body was never recovered. Maybe, go from there where he went into retirement. Show him in some distance place or something. Don't just come on with a whole new story line and a whole new "Bourne." Damon made that character. Damon is that character. I will NOT be watching another Bourne—I don't care how good it is—until Matt Damon is back in that role.
matt damon is amazing it's either jason bourne or nothing really it wouldnt be the same and no one could act as amazing as matt damon so matt damon pleaseeeeeeee come back!
For me it's not a Bourne Movie without Matt Damon. I also don't care for the new lead actor.
There is no Bourne without Damon
MATT DAMON is the real Bourne I'm sorry, Its like the Terminator without Arnold Swazzengear or Rambo without Sylvester Stallone NO WAY WE WANT DAMON!!!
MATT DAMON is the real Bourne I'm sorry, Its like the Terminator without Arnold Swazzengear or Rambo without Sylvester Stallone NO WAY WE WANT BOURNE!!!
I am actually looking forward to The Bourne Legacy WITHOUT Matt Damon. Where else can the story go? A different agent in the same universe freshens things up a great deal and I have to wonder at the people whining about Damon being absent. I'm a fan of the original trilogy but I'm also intrigued at what else could exist in the Bourne universe. Renner is a great actor and I like the way the trailers look. I'm in.
Renner doesn't look the part. We want Matt Damon!
I'll skip legacy and go watch the real Matt Damon kick a in Elysium. It'll be out in 7 months.
Matt Damon is a great big lefty pinko, but he's also Jason Bourne. I don't see this movie doing real well without him. The dude they picked to be the lead looks a like ninja turtle. No X factor. Maybe not even a Y or Z factor either. We really need to find some macho American actors, because for the most part we're turning out a buncha runts and fluffs these days. The movie is probably not gonna fair very well.
If Legacy is a hit, then Gilroy has the keys to the franchise? Not so fast. While I think it will do well, it'd be hard pressed to surpass Ultimatum's numbers. My guess is, Renner's film will be a solid hit, but not super huge. 2-3 years from now their will be another Bourne film with Damon and Renner both in it, going toe-to-toe for a time, then teaming up against some greater threat. Greengrass will direct and Gilroy will pen the script and get producer credit.
Then they'll cap this new trilogy with one final film with Renner and Damon both…one of them will die in the film (probably Renner) and Bourne will walk away from the spy game forever.
I think Jeremy Renner is a good actor too i loved him in Mission Impossible 4 and it would be a really good idea if him and Matt Damon could star together in Bourne 5 and The Bourne Legacy sunds really exciting and i cant wait to see it.
Bring back Matt Damon, I don't like Renner and I hope the movie under performs.
Why not have a tie-in 'Bourne 5' with both Renner and Damon? I would watch that movie any day.
I would gladly sit through another Bourne with Matt Damon. I love all 3 movies and would have loved to see him in the next. There a plenty of people that feel the same as I do.
Man, I don't know why anybody would want to sit through Damon stoically and blankly running through another two hour obstacle course of spatial/temporal confusion. With figures in the background making phone-calls that imply that the US intelligence might be a little bit bad, but not really, for the sake of mild edginess.
matt damon's a tool