Jason Bourne, as his many action sequences have shown, is hard to kill, and he’s coming back to life once again as Universal Pictures has begun talks with Edward Berger to direct an upcoming sixth film in the dominant spy franchise.
According to Deadline, it’s incredibly early in the process, with only Berger attached to the project and no screenplay, but the studio is excited to get one of its biggest franchises back onto screens again. That’s especially true with Berger attached to direct after his success with All Quiet on the Western Front, which won Best International Feature Film at last year’s Oscars, and his two critically lauded series The Terror and Your Honor. Jumping into Bourne would instantly make the director one of the hottest in Hollywood, and Universal seems to think he can help resurrect the franchise.
The first three Bourne films were big successes, turning Matt Damon into a massive box office draw and action star. However, after the third film, the franchise began to lag, with an attempt to replace Damon with Jeremy Renner falling flat in The Bourne Legacy. Damon’s return in 2016’s Jason Bourne was a box office success but not that big of a hit with critics and fans, who felt it was too much of the same. The franchise has remained dormant since then.
Whether or not Damon will return is up in the air. If he does, it will most likely be ten years since he tackled the role once production starts and more than 20 since he first took on the role. That’s not to say he’s not interested, but reports say that he’ll only sign on if he really likes the script and finds it interesting. If he doesn’t return, it will be interesting to see what the studio does with the character after trying to replace him in Legacy. Could we see a James Bond-style recasting where Bourne is no longer tied to the face of one actor? Only time will tell.
