It’s become almost a yearly occurrence in the entertainment world to report on the possibility of Matt Damon returning to the Bourne franchise. To be truthful, who can really blame people for looking forward to the hint of another adventure with Jason Bourne, as the original trilogy spanned throughout almost a decade long reign of consistently intelligent espionage and fast-paced adrenaline. So it will come as no surprise to anyone that Matt Damon has gone on record yet again to say that he is open to the return of Jason Bourne, so long as Paul Greengrass comes back with him.
CNBC recently had Matt Damon on their CNBC Meets program, and as you’ll see in the interview above with host Tania Bryer, the keys to bringing him back to the table are the right story and Paul Greengrass. Mr. Damon threw in the following statement, so as to hedge his bets:
"It felt like such a good way to end it the last time, but having said that I love that character… and I’d love to see what happened to him."
While Matt Damon has always said that the story of the trilogy wrapped itself up with the end of Jason Bourne’s search for who he really was, it doesn’t seem like he’d have a problem getting into gear again to find out what happens to the man who knows everything he’s ever wanted. Come to think of it, any idea that brought him and Paul Greengrass to the table would be infinitely better than a continuation of the usually stellar Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Legacy.
Between the film’s attempt at tying into The Bourne Ultimatum and adding yet another clandestine program gone horribly wrong, the film proved that if the Bourne series is going to even have a shot at a legacy, it’s best we just forget that the first attempt to continue it even existed. No offense against Jeremy Renner, but the Bourne franchise is, and should always will be a Matt Damon affair. If Paul Greengrass is required, then Universal would smart to trying and re-acquire Mr. Greengrass’ Memphis project as a gesture of good faith. While fast tracking its production and funding it in, the studio could exchange that favor for the next Bourne picture.
Of course, the best strategy would be for Universal to offer a "one for us, one for you" package that ensures a trilogy out of both Damon and Greengrass, as well as three other side projects that are also relevant to their interests. As long as they can come up with the right story, we could be set for another thrilling decade of Jason Bourne, and (if they can figure out how to integrate him properly) Aaron Cross.
