UPDATE: Edward Berger is confirming what I had previously suspected. He tells THR he’s still on board to direct the next ‘Bourne.’
“I will do it if Matt wants to do it,” he says. “If we can really have the feeling that we are adding something new to the great Bourne films that were already. That will be necessary to make Matt want to do it, and to make me want to do it.”
EARLIER: Back in March, Universal had lost the rights to the Jason Bourne franchise which was being shopped around to other studios. Skydance, Apple and Netflix had met with the Robert Ludlum estate about acquiring ‘Bourne’. The goal was to revive the franchise, but it was unclear if Matt Damon would still be involved, or if a reboot would occur.
Turns out, Universal has just reacquired the rights. Bourne is staying home. Expect a fast-tracked reboot, or sequel, to be happening very soon.
Last year, a report had Edward Berger potentially circling to direct the next Bourne movie, with Matt Damon returning as the titular hero. Deadline’s now reporting that Joe Barton (”Black Doves”) has written the latest draft.
Damon had stated that he’d be back for “one more” film in the ‘Bourne’ franchise. A Production Weekly listing even had the next instalment titled “The Bourne Dilemma,” and Berger 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,” which had also marked the return of Greengrass to the franchise. Critical reception was cool on that one, but it did end up earning over $400M at the global box-office.