Entertainment
Are More Bourne Movies On The Way?
There are few film franchises that I am as passionate about as ones that involve Matt Damon. One of my best friends confessed to me that she has never seen a Bourne movie and for a moment, I considered what a life without her as a friend would be like. That is how seriously I take handsome-men-fighting-crime-and-kicking-butt movies. This summer, I can thank the universe for blessing me with another new Bourne movie starring Damon in the leading role. But is this the end of Bourne or will there be another Bourne movie?
After the first three Bourne movies (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum), Damon bowed out of the franchise, seemingly retiring Jason Bourne once and for all. Fans grieved the loss of the beloved character, but then, Jeremy Renner was cast in a fourth Bourne movie called The Bourne Legacy which starred the actor as Aaron Cross, another Bourne-like agent. That was all well and good, but that movie didn't compare to the announcement that Damon would be returning to the Bourne franchise as the titular character once more for the movie that'd become Jason Bourne.
But wilI this new movie be the last in the franchise? I need to know that I can count on seeing Damon as Bourne again and again. The ending of Jason Bourne (no spoilers here!) sets up the possibility of another movie pretty well, but does that mean that a sequel is definitely on the way? Well, according to The Playlist, Universal chairwoman Donna Langley has said the goal is "to keep Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass doing Bourne movies till they can’t do them anymore." Sounds good to me. Still, there's been no announced sixth movie just yet, and who is to say if the next Bourne movie, if it happens, will still star Damon as Bourne? In 2015, Universal, the studio behind the franchise, confirmed that Renner's Aaron Cross will be receiving a sequel and his storyline within the Bourne universe (Bourneiverse?) will remain separate from the Jason Bourne storyline. So what does that mean for Damon?
The actor clearly loves the character and the franchise and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he said on the Jason Bourne press tour that he's aware that he's "definitely going to be replaced someday by some new young Jason Bourne." I don't think that day is going to come any time soon, though, especially since Damon and Greengrass have Universal's blessing to keep making Bourne movies for as long as they want.
I, for one, would be entirely distraught if they decided to continue the Bourne franchise going forward but chose to recast Damon with someone new, a la the Bond franchise. But luckily, I don't have to worry about that just yet. I'd be surprised if we couldn't expect at least one more Damon as Bourne movie, because it doesn't seem that the actor is done with the character just yet — and that's great news, because neither am I.
Images: Universal Pictures; Giphy
