The iconic Jason Bourne is set to make his return to the big screen, but Matt Damon may or may not be involved. A new installment of the amnesiac assassin’s misadventures is reportedly getting off the ground at Universal, though it’s early days just yet.
It’s been over 20 years since the first Jason Bourne thriller movie. The Bourne Identity in 2002 was a huge benchmark in Damon’s career, proving he could shoulder making the best action movies on his own. We got two sequels, before Damon stepped away, to be replaced by Jeremy Renner.
Damon came back for 2016’s Jason Bourne, a film that did very well for the franchise. Now, according to Deadline, a sixth new movie is in development, with director Edward Berger, who you might recognize as the man behind one of the best Netflix movies, All Along the Western Front.
The outlet states Berger’s the only one attached right now. Damon has not signed on, nor is he in advanced talks. The reason for that is simple: he needs to be convinced Jason’s coming back for the right reasons, so the pitch needs to be solid.
Damon has first refusal on the script once it’s done. If I’m to be frank, although The Bourne Legacy wasn’t bad, Damon really is the star of the show here. Without him, they have a steep hill to climb, justifying another sequel. But that could be my cynicism talking as well; we’ve had some incredible soft reboots and legacy sequels over the years, like Creed and Top Gun: Maverick.
Although the scale is different, Universal probably wants Jason Bourne to be as reliable as the Fast and Furious movies. Coming up on the Fast and Furious 11 release date, that franchise could go on forever, really, provided the right creative juices, and Bourne could theoretically be the same.
Berger’s a good choice here since, besides making one of the best war movies ever, he was also one of the masterminds behind The Terror, one of the best TV series of the last 20 years. He’s a competent storyteller who knows how to work to his limitations. If this points him to the forefront of Hollywood, it can only be a good thing.
While we wait, have a look through our list of the best thriller series, and we have a guide on Reacher season 2 you’ll want to read if you like covert operations.