Jason Bourne, the legendary character featured in Robert Ludlum’s books, is set for a return. It’s not an easy sell, even with 40 years of history behind it, but the famed British spy has made a name for himself through books and cinema. Flash fans shouldn’t have to wait long to find out what’s next for the character. Stay tuned for even more fun stories and adaptations coming soon!
The character of Jason Bourne came to life in “The Bourne Identity,” a novel written in 1980. He leapt to the large screen almost as quickly, moving to film in 2002. “The Bourne Identity,” which put Matt Damon in the title role, kickstarted his Hollywood film career. Paul Greengrass directed the second installment, creating one of the most successful movie trilogies of all time. The list featured “The Bourne Supremacy” in 2004 and “The Bourne Ultimatum” in 2007. Yet these movies, along with the popular games they spawned, solidly cemented Bourne into the pop culture pantheon. They provided a spellbinding story deep with conspiracy, adventure, and psychological complexity.
Where the original Star Wars trilogy ended, the Bourne saga picked up in spectacular fashion. Jeremy Renner took over the classic character in “The Bourne Legacy” (2012). However, despite this change, fans made clear their overwhelming wish for Damon’s return, which eventually happened in spades with 2016’s Jason Bourne. Greengrass directed this film, keeping up the creative tournament that had become the trademark of the franchise.
Robert Ludlum wrote three original Bourne books before his death in 2001. Since then, other writers have expanded the universe with additional books, creating a vast landscape of stories that could potentially lead to further adaptations. The sheer volume of material available has led to discussions about possibly rebooting the franchise with a younger actor to portray Bourne’s character.
Additionally, NBCUniversal has recently acquired the film rights to all of Ludlum’s works. They have found a way to amass all non-publishing rights to the Bourne and Treadstone properties in perpetuity. With this development comes a resurgence of interest in adapting bold, new stories like these to create exciting, educational new films. Legislating like Joe Barton—the Bourne 4 script finished. It now sits waiting for greenlight approval, leading to more franchise future speculation.
Peter Cramer, president of production at NBCUniversal is particularly pleased with this trend. He said, “We’re thrilled to keep building the Bourne franchise well into the future with new and adventurous storylines for audiences around the world.” This commitment signals a much larger vision for the franchise. It aims to bring new stories forward, while still celebrating its rich history.
As anticipation builds for another installment, Matt Damon’s stock has risen significantly due to his upcoming role in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” His experimental and recent successes will surely walk that audience into thinking differently. Further, their impressions will shape how audiences perceive his return to easily his most famous role. Damon’s star power still shines bright. Assuming they find a strong script, they certainly would have a third successful Bourne chapter on their hands.