Longtime Jason Bourne fans would like nothing more than to see Matt Damon return to the role of the rogue amnesiac super spy. The most recent film in the Bourne franchise, ‘The Bourne Legacy’, replaced Damon with ‘The Avengers’ Jeremy Renner in a supposed prequel to Damon’s trilogy.
Now, if the latest reports are to be believed, the ‘Good Will Hunting’ star may in-fact return to the mega-successful action franchise. According to Deadline, director Paul Greengrass is in talks with Universal Pictures to come back for his third film in the long-running franchise that started with Doug Liman’s ‘The Bourne Identity’ (Greengrass directed the two follow-ups: ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ and ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’).
If Damon does end up returning to the role of America’s James Bond, then Renner’s Bourne spin-off sequel may be pushed back to make room for the former’s comeback rumored for 2016 – a date apparently reserved for an ‘un-named’ Bourne film. Renner’s next film will be directed by Justin Lin who helmed last year’s blockbuster ‘Fast and Furious 6’.
Damon’s performance as Robert Ludlum’s creation won him much critical acclaim. Before the Bourne series he wasn’t particularly known for his versatility, but his deadly performance as Jason Bourne, his comedic portrayal of Linus Caldwell in the ‘Oceans’ series and his Oscar-worthy performance as Francois Pienaar in ‘Invictus’ proved otherwise.
After once stating he would love to see both Damon and Renner star in a Bourne film, series-producer Frank Marshall later denied that the original Jason Bourne would return. And while there is no doubt it would be great to see both talents feature in the same film… For now, let’s just focus on getting Matt back!