More Jason Bourne? While talk of a new sequel to the super spy franchise has been dormant since 2016’s Jason Bourne, no brand is ever left on the shelf for long, and Universal has its sights set on a film with a director who isn’t Paul Greengrass. But what about Matt Damon?
Deadline reports that Universal has hired All Quiet On the Western Front director Edward Berger to helm a fifth Bourne movie. So far, Berger is the only creative attached to the project, and the hope is that someone will come up with an idea that will lure star Matt Damon back into the fold. Because without him, what do you really have? A total reboot? Berger is likely to be deeply involved in the process, especially when it comes to finding a writer and hashing out a story that could attract Damon’s attention.
It could still prove difficult. The report notes that “everything has to be executed perfectly for Damon even to consider coming back to the franchise, and that starts with a great script and story, and so as of right now, no commitment from him until all of that is in place.”
If Damon were to refuse, it’s not as if the franchise has completely died without him. Damon and Greengrass exited together after 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, and a 2012 spinoff, The Bourne Legacy, arrived in 2012 with star Jeremy Renner and director Tony Gilroy. Results were mixed, however. Damon and Greengrass returned with Jason Bourne four years later. And let’s not forget the Bourne spinoff TV series, Treadstone, which aired for one season in 2019.
Universal isn’t going to let Jason Bourne go without a fight, so expect them to put a lot of effort into getting Damon aboard. Berger is a strong choice for the material, as well. His critically-acclaimed WWI film earned nine total Oscar nominations, winning four including Best International Feature. I think it’s crucial to these films, as it was with “All Quiet”, to have a foreign filmmaker’s perspective. One of the things that made the best Bourne films was that they steered clear from typical American action movies, while the one directed by Gilroy felt very traditional.
