With the last entry in theJason Bourneseriesreleased back in 2016, it’s fair for fans to assume the franchise is now dormant. However, a trend with successful franchises is that they are never gone for good, and as of November 2023, a sixth entry in the long-running franchise was revealed to be in the works withMatt Damonlikelyreturning to the starring role. Except forBourne Legacy, which swapped Jeremy Renner in for the lead, Damon has been the face of the series throughout. Damon isn’t expected to be the only returning character, but fans shouldn’t expect to seeJulia Stilesreprise her role, at least according to her.
In an interview withScreen Rant, Stiles,whose character Nicky Parsonsplayed a major role throughout the original trilogy and had personal ties to Damon’s amnesiac assassin, died in 2016’sJason Bourne.And the actress has now largely dismissed the idea of returning for more. However, she does not rule out possibly being involved should they ever make a prequel.
“I’ve just had déjà vu, because I feel like I’ve been having this conversation for the past 20 years, and this was the conversation that happened before each previous version. I’m like, ‘What?’ It would have to be some sort of prequel thingy. I don’t know.”
Matt Damon Is Interested in Returning for Bourne 6
Edward Berger is on board as the director for the unnamed sixth installment, but not much else has been announced about the project so far. While not officially confirmed, Damon is expected to return, and has spoken highly of the director. In February 2024, Damon talked about his excitement about possiblyworking with Bergeron the film.
“There is a great director named Edward Berger. [‘All Quiet on the Western Front’] is a fantastic film, and he’s wonderful and he said he had an idea [for Bourne]. I would love to work with him, so he’s working on it. Look, I’m as anxious as you are to see if this thing [happens] — I hope it’s great and that we can do it.”
Damon has played the character since 2002, and for those keeping score at home, that’s longer than Daniel Craig portrayed James Bond if Damon returns for another film. Craig and theBondproducers knew they had to get somebody younger into the role, and it’s something Damon is aware of as well.
“At a certain point somebody is going to need to take it over. I’m not getting any younger.”
The Bourne Identity Director Reveals How the Film Accidently Started the Shaky Cam Trend
Director Doug Liman needed to get a scene filmed quickly, and ended up pioneering a popular movie aesthetic.
The franchiseattempted just that with Jeremy Rennerin 2012’sThe Bourne Legacy,but the box office numbers showed audiences weren’t on board. The previous installment, starring Damon, grossed $444 million while Renner’s film only managed $276 million. The next film with Damon back in the saddle climbed back up to $415 million. The timing of Renner’s film came the same year as the firstAvengersfilm, but it failed to ride the wave of the actor’s involvement in the MCU. Perhaps things would be different now with Renner in the starring role, but it’s more likely they’d look for somebody younger than the 53-year-old Renner coming off his snowplow accident.
Jason Bourne
In the fifth installment in the Bourne film franchise, Matt Damon returns to his most iconic role of Jason Bourne. Though the titular operative has recovered from his amnesia, he is still on the run from the CIA that wants him dead, while trying to learn clues about his father and his history.
