‘Jason Bourne’ Franchise Might Get Acquired By Netflix

Universal has lost the rights to the Jason Bourne franchise which is currently being shopped around to other studios.

Skydance, Apple and Netflix have met with the Robert Ludlum estate about acquiring the ‘Bourne’. The goal is to revive the franchise, but it’s unclear if Matt Damon would still be involved or if a reboot will occur.

Last year, a report had Edward Berger potentially circling to direct the next Bourne movie, with Matt Damon returning as the titular hero. THR’s sources are reporting that Berger’s attempt “did not come to fruition fast enough,” and now his ‘Bourne’ project is dead.

Last year, Damon stated that he’d be back for “one more” film in the ‘Bourne’ franchise. A Production Weekly even had the next instalment titled “The Bourne Dilemma,” and Berger listed as director.

Through five movies, the Jason Bourne franchise has racked up $1.64 billion at the global box office. The first three — ‘Identity,’ ‘Supremacy’ and ‘Ultimatum’ — were the best ones, and the last two were so lukewarm that they ended up deflating any kind of excitement and anticipation for a potential sixth instalment.

Regardless, those first three films, especially the two directed by Paul Greengrass, established a post 9/11 gritty realism in action with their heavy usage of handheld camera and quick-cut editing. They paved the way for 21st century action, influencing the genre for the next two decades to come.

Bourne last appeared, nearly a decade ago, in 2016’s “Jason Bourne.” If the Robert Ludlum estate doesn’t mind straight-to-streaming, I would imagine that Netflix will outbid competing studios and snatch up the rights to the action franchise.