Surprise! Jason Bourne is heading back to the big screen.
Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass are set to collaborate on a third “Bourne” film together, according to Deadline, contradicting previous claims by Greengrass that his involvement with the franchise was through (it's worth noting that Latino Review had the scoop on this story way back in June).
The film will reportedly be done in time to make the July 16, 2016 release date previously slotted by Universal for the next untitled “Bourne” film, which was assumed to be the next entry in the “Bourne Legacy” series starring Jeremy Renner. The Justin Lin-directed sequel to that 2012 spinoff – which saw Renner starring as special agent Aaron Cross – is still in development, however, and the studio is said to be interested in continuing on with it even as they re-embark on the original series.
Based on the popular book series by Robert Ludlum, the first three Jason Bourne entries – 2002's Doug Liman-directed “The Bourne Identity,” 2004's “The Bourne Supremacy” and 2007's “The Bourne Ultimatum” – have collectively grossed over $940 million worldwide, making the idea of another sequel a no-brainer for Universal. “The Bourne Legacy,” meanwhile, brought in a healthy $276 million overall, albeit on a fairly steep $125 million budget.
Are you glad Damon and Greengrass are coming back for another Jason Bourne film? Let us know in the comments.