By Okay, let’s run-down what you need for a Bourne film. Spies? Good start. Action? Naturally. Matt Damon? Uh…that could be a problem. His character, Jason Bourne? Not in it. Wait…what? How can you have a Bourne film without Jason Bourne?
This might be the scenario for the fourth installment of the popular spy trilogy, the first to not be adapted from the novels by Robert Ludlum, as reported by Movieline. Matt Damon already expressed a desire to sit out the next film in the series due to director Paul Greengrass’s replacement by Tony Gilroy. Most people would consider recasting Damon’s role, similar to the passing of James Bond’s mantle to new actors, but Gilroy would rather not use the character at all. Instead, he says that he has a new plan that will work without Damon’s involvement, while still leaving open his return in a future film:
I’m not going to get into the plot, but you saw the other three films, you know everything that happened, and it’s not a dream sequence. What I can say is, you thought that was the whole world, but it was a small piece of what was going on. Ultimatum exploded at the end with people arrested. We deal with that as a reality, it has ramifications that echo out into the larger world. And of course, Jason Bourne is still alive and out there in the world. I don’t want to go beyond that, because the last thing I need is for every blogger to be second guessing.
Brilliant way to get every blogger second guessing! I’ll take the high road and stop speculating, but long story short, don’t expect Matt Damon or the character Jason Bourne to be in the next Bourne film. Gilroy hints that it could feature a new assassin or focus on a side character. Maybe Damon will return for the next one, though I have a feeling he has moved on from the property. Call it a hunch.
Tony Gilroy Will Not Recast Matt Damon’s Part in His Upcoming Bourne Film [Movieline]