Production is underway for the newest “Bourne” movie.
With the first day of shooting complete, producer Frank Marshall tweeted out this photo of Matt Damon returning to play Jason Bourne:
First day of principal photography complete and happy to report, BOURNE is back! #Bourne2016 pic.twitter.com/ncIILnGKWr
– Frank Marshall (@LeDoctor) September 8, 2015
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It”s been eight years since the last “Bourne” film starring Damon was released (with a Jeremy Renner-led installment to tide us over in 2012). It”s safe to assume that the new, as-yet-untitled film takes place about eight years after the events of 2007″s “Bourne Ultimatum,” when Bourne went underground after leaking boatloads of info about the super illegal Operation Treadstone (which the CIA launched to create near-superhuman assassins like Bourne.) Damon told BuzzFeed the film takes place in a “post-Snowden world.”
Damon, now 44, looks decently ripped in this photo, though, so it looks like Bourne hasn”t spent those eight or so years post-spydom and post-on-the-run-dom becoming Fat Apollo. And it looks like he”s just finished a fight, unwrapping his hands in some kind of fighting ring in this photo. Perhaps he”s earning some money and keeping his skills sharp with some fisticuffs while he”s in hiding.
The new “Bourne” film will co-star Vincent Cassel (“Black Swan,” “Ocean”s Twelve”) as an assassin on Bourne”s tail. Alicia Vikander (“Ex Machina,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”) and Tommy Lee Jones also are joining the franchise, and Julia Stiles is reprising her role as Nicky. Returning to direct is Paul Greengrass – whom Damon said had to be aboard for him to return to the franchise.
The movie will be released in July 2016.