Zendaya Reportedly in Talks to Replace Matt Damon in ‘Bourne’ Reboot

Am I reading this correctly?

Here’s The InSneider hearing that a major “Bourne” reboot is happening, coming after Universal had been searching for a new actor to replace Matt Damon.

One of Sneider’s “very best sources” is telling him that Zendaya has had discussions about replacing Damon as the lead of Bourne at Universal. Yep, a female spy would take over.

Sneider asked two more sources, and they had heard the same thing.

Is this a legit good idea? I’m sure the internet will act totally normal about this casting: a woman of color in the role, but quite honestly, I can see the thinking behind this, and why Universal is strongly supporting her casting.

Replacing Damon, 55, is a no-brainer — what the “Bourne” franchise needs is new blood, but hot damn, Zendaya’s potential casting would be met with hostility in certain corners of the online film community. Gender-swapped reboots almost never do well at the box office, and it has much to do with the toxicity that comes with it.

Zendaya has kept her schedule fairly wide open. She does have a handful of movies left to come out in 2026, but only Barry Jenkins’ A24 Ronnie Spector biopic seems to be moving as a potential next project.

Back in March 2025, Universal reacquired the rights to the Bourne franchise, with the goal of “reviving” the IP, possibly as a reboot. Last we heard, the latest draft of the script had been penned by Joe Barton (“Black Doves”). Edward Berger was attached to direct.

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

Bourne last appeared nearly a decade ago, in 2016’s “Jason Bourne,” which also marked the return of Greengrass to the franchise. Critical reception was cool on that one, but it still earned over $400 million at the global box office.