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It’s no secret that fans have been clamoring for Matt Damon to return to the role of Jason Bourne following the ending of The Bourne Ultimatum. The series, based on the series of books by Robert Ludlum, followed Damon’s amnesic secret agent as he uncovers the truth about his past, while trying to run from it. But as the third film came to a close, so did Damon’s ties to the franchise. But that wasn’t the end of the series, as Universal launched a fourth film in 2012 film, The Bourne Legacy, that saw Jeremy Renner picking up the mantle as a new character named Aaron Cross, who had ties to Bourne’s past. The film had many connections and references to Jason, but we never once saw him in the film.
For some time now, Damon has been adamant that the only way he would return was with director Paul Greengrass, who helmed the second and third films in the franchise:
“I’ve always been open to it if Paul Greengrass is the director. We’ve just never been able to come up with a story. So if any of your viewers have a story, please call Universal and submit it. It felt like such a good way to end it the last time… But having said that, I love that character and I’d love to see what happened to him.”
Well, it seems like Damon may have finally changed his mind, because Elmayimbe over at Latino Review has just unleashed a new scoop that Damon will certainly be back for the currently untitled Bourne 5, and that his involvement is what has delayed the film almost a full year. His article goes on to say that the studio stating that the change of date was to accommodate their new film Straight Out of Compton, the real story about the Rap group N.W.A., but Elmayimbe goes on to refute the claim, saying it is common studio misdirection. He then goes further and adds this tidbit:
Also think about the following, the last Bourne movie (The Bourne Legacy) made $276 million worldwide at the box office. So why is the studio slotting Bourne 5 against Ice Age 5 whose last entry made $877 million?! Does that make any sense? Universal must have a serious ace card up its sleeve. You know what that ace card is?
Matt f**king Damon.
I don’t know how Justin Lin convinced Damon to come back to Bourne or why Damon changed his mind but I’m sure we will get to know why in the months to come. I’m sure they found a story they both liked. My source believes that Damon recent misfires at the box office has a lot to do with it as well.
It all makes a lot of sense, and Damon’s recent failures, plus the fan demand, and Universal knowing that Damon’s Jason Bourne is really the reason people love the franchise, bringing him back is a no brainer. But what about his talk about only coming back if Greengrass was involved? Well, to be frank, I think it’s safe to say that with director Justin Lin involved with the film, that was reason enough to make Damon comfortable enough to return. Lin was the driving force behind the recent revitalization of the Fast and Furious franchise, directing the third through sixth installments in the series, and making it a truly high profile series again. His direction and story really brought the series back from extinction, and I’m sure Universal is hoping he can do the same thing here. Lin probably has a pretty big story set up, and one that makes Damon excited to return, and his prior work had to have made him comfortable enough to finally say yes to returning.
What will this mean for Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross character though? Many fans are worried that this could be the end of his character already, but as many who saw The Bourne Legacy know, Cross was on a mission to find Damon’s Jason Bourne. This would be the best of both worlds scenario, where fans of both characters get to see them together on screen, fighting each other, and then eventually side by side. My gut says that is the way the film will go, and when I asked Elmayimbe directly about it on twitter, this is what he had to say:
@pj_campbell NO COMMENT 🙂
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) June 20, 2014
It’s not a yes, but I’m cautiously optimistic that he knows there’s a team up on the horizon, and he doesn’t want to spill it to the fans just yet. This is all great news, and while nothing has been officially confirmed by the studio, Elmayimbe is willing to be the house on that his source is right, and that we will once again see Jason Bourne back on the big screen again. Also, one thing to consider is that expanded universes are all the rage right now in Hollywood, with things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and soon to be the expanded Star Wars and DC universes, adding a layer of that to the Bourne series, as we’ve see they’ve begun to establish, just makes sense. It would be beneficial not just for the fans, but for the studio as well.
Are you excited about the prospect of seeing Matt Damon back as Jason Bourne, and the possibility of a team up with Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross? Sound off in the usual place.
