It’s been nearly 10 years since we’ve seenJason Bourneon the big screen, and now, we finally know the fate of theactionfranchise that began in 2002, and has thus far spawned five movies and a TV series. Based on characters created by the late Robert Ludlum, Matt Damon became synonymous with the series, portraying Bourne in four movies, with a brief respite to allow Jeremy Renner to shine in 2012’sThe Bourne Legacy.
PerThe Hollywood Reporter, NBCUniversal has reacquired all rights to the Bourne and Treadstone books, excluding publishing, which paves the way for them to now continue on with the franchise on both the big and small screens. Those rights initially expired back in March, and while the Ludlum estate did shop them around to potential buyers like Netflix and Apple, it was ultimately Universal that swept in to renew their option. The difference this time is that everything is in perpetuity, which means the company will now hold onto things forever.
Generatingmore than $1.6 billion at the box officeacross its five movies, Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer commented in a statement that the “Bourne franchise has reshaped the spy genre with groundbreaking films that set new standards for cinematic action.” He continued:
“We’re energized to continue expanding the Bourne universe into the future with exciting new stories for global audiences.”
What This Means For the Future of the ‘Bourne’ Franchise
Other than experimenting with the short-lived TV seriesTreadstonein 2019 that divided fans and critics, theBournefranchise has remained pretty stagnant over the years. A sixth film has long been rumored to be in development, but thus far nothing has come to fruition other than an IMDb title that has it listed as being calledJason Bourne Exodus, with Edward Berger set to direct.
That being said, Berger’s involvement in the projecthas remained up in the air, and as for Damon, at age 54, he’s yet to commit to anythingBourne-related, so it remains to be seen if he’ll ever return to portray the titular spy, or if the baton will be passed on to someone younger.
Honestly, it’s almost a given at this point that Universal will move on with or without Damon’s involvement, as now that they’ve firmly secured the rights, they have free rein to do what they wish with the franchise. There are 22 books in the main series that were penned by Ludlum and others following the author’s death in 2001, so there’s no shortage of material to work with. More movies and TV shows are certainly on the horizon, but like James Bond, who will be the next to portray Bourne is anyone’s guess right now.
Still, it’s nothing but good news for fans who have been clamoring for more content on their screens. LikeJohn Wickand others before it, we can see an entire universe being spun off in a number of ways that’s all interconnected, which gives us hope for the future. We’ll have more news on what’s to come as it happens, but in the meantime, you may enjoy where it all started by watchingThe Bourne Identity, which is available to rent or purchase on all digital platforms.
The Bourne Identity
