Okay, But What Was It...Really?
"You won't find a more devoted supporter of the Bourne franchise than me," says departed Bourne director Paul Greengrass in a prepared statement. "I will always be grateful to have been the caretaker to Jason Bourne over the course of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. I'm very proud of those films and feel they express everything I most passionately believe about the possibility of making quality movies in the mainstream.
"My decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge. There's been no disagreement with Universal Pictures. The opportunity to work with the Bourne family again is a difficult thing to pass up, but we have discussed this together and they have been incredibly understanding and supportive. I've been lucky enough to have made four films for Universal, and our relationship continues. Jason Bourne existed before me and will continue, and I hope to remain involved in some capacity as the series moves on."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on December 2, 2009 at 2:01 PM
comment #1
Colin
says ...
Where could they really go with the script? Greengrass was right to step away.
Posted by Colin
at December 2, 2009 2:07 PM
comment #2
Mr. F.
says ...
Colin's right -- any more Bourne movies they make after this point will strictly be for the cash, not because they make any kind of thematic sense. The storyline is resolved: Bourne's defeated his ultimate enemy, come to terms with his personal issues, yadda yadda. I don't want to see a Bourne movie where he suddenly remembers something ELSE deep in his memory that he had been blocking for years and starting anew... it's done. Let it be!
Posted by Mr. F.
at December 2, 2009 2:11 PM
comment #3
Mr. F.
says ...
(And I should add: I say that as a fan of the franchise)
Posted by Mr. F.
at December 2, 2009 2:12 PM
comment #4
googs
says ...
@ Colin
So true, there is no logical point of progression. I'm surprised Damon hasn't given a solid 'no' as well. I know he doesn't want to do it, but he probably won't completely dismiss it because he knows he might have to revisit it for the $ someday if his star power wanes or he's can't maintain his lifestyle after all the pay cuts he takes on smaller films and supporting roles.
Posted by googs
at December 2, 2009 2:27 PM
comment #5
Mark
says ...
Before declaring no interest in furthering the saga, has either of you read any of the novels subsequent to Ultimatum? They could be great for all i know. All will be made into film, i imagine, with or without Damon.
Posted by Mark
at December 2, 2009 2:54 PM
comment #6
Colin
says ...
I have read several but not many could be adapted into a Bourne novel: The Prometheus Deception. No.
The Sigma Protocol. No.
Posted by Colin
at December 2, 2009 2:58 PM
comment #7
markj
says ...
The previous posters are correct, there's no purpose to a fourth movie. Leave it alone and let everyone remember a really terrific set of films.
Posted by markj
at December 2, 2009 3:04 PM
comment #8
le corbeau
says ...
There's a perfectly logical place for him to go.
He stops using his superskillz to hunt for bad surrogate fathers at CIA headquarters, and starts using them to, you know, fight bad guys like terrorists or Vladimir Putin's assassins or something.
I'd love to see the first Bourne movie to acknowledge that the rest of the world is not just a backdrop for Americans to work out daddy issues, but an actual place with actual dangers that someone has to fight sometimes.
Posted by le corbeau
at December 2, 2009 3:12 PM
comment #9
le corbeau
says ...
Of course, the guy who produced the Howard Zinn series for the History Channel is unlikely to star in such a thing...
Posted by le corbeau
at December 2, 2009 3:16 PM
comment #10
googs
says ...
they should do "The Bourne Again" where he quits drinking and starts going to church every sunday.
Posted by googs
at December 2, 2009 3:17 PM
comment #11
Mr. F.
says ...
Or Bourne, injured fighting in Afghanistan, is paralyzed from the waist down and becomes an anti-war activist: BOURNE ON THE FOURTH OF JULY!
Sorry for that. Just goes to show they should let a great franchise be.
Posted by Mr. F.
at December 2, 2009 5:32 PM
comment #12
Zach
says ...
looks like Damon may call a quits as well?
http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/matt-damon-bourne-paul-greengrass/
Posted by Zach
at December 2, 2009 6:03 PM
comment #13
shermy
says ...
Universal will likely blink to avoid losing Damon.
As for the plot, they could always shift the focus to David Webb and his reluctance to assume the Bourne identity once again. This would be closer to Ludlum's sequels anyway.
Bourne could become a four or five film saga- or even two distinct trilogies- before there's no story left to tell. After all, they managed to get an entire trilogy out of, essentially, just one of Ludlum's books.
Posted by shermy
at December 2, 2009 6:54 PM
comment #14
moorish
says ...
@Mark - The films have departed so far from the original Ludlum trilogy of novels that trying to make another movie based on one of the Lustbader follow ups would basically necessitate throwing out the entire thing and writinbg an original screenplay anyway. The Bourne of the novels now resembles Damon's movie character in name only.
Posted by moorish
at December 3, 2009 3:52 AM
comment #15
bents75
says ...
I'm not arguing they shouldn't let it lie - but it's not as if this character has any more or less depth than James Bond...and they've been cranking that shit out for decades. I see no reason why they couldn't do the same here, for better or worse.
He's a former "secret agent" with mad skills - that's the only starting point you need to write whatever action plot you can think of.
Posted by bents75
at December 3, 2009 8:24 AM
comment #16
le corbeau
says ...
Yeah, but Bents, the problem is his adversary is always someone within the CIA. And even the third movie had trouble not seeming like a remake of the second movie. I'm not saying you couldn't make another movie-- maybe Michael Gambon can be the chunky, British bad dad who helped experiment on him this time, and Sam Shepard might be good in the Cooper/Strathairn role-- but as repetitive as Bond is, this seems that much moreso.
Posted by le corbeau
at December 3, 2009 9:26 AM
comment #17
Noiresque
says ...
I actually preferred the Liman film to the two sequels. More Franka, Clive Owen threateningly sexy in glasses, better scenery, the hot hair-cutting scene, no shaky cam...
Posted by Noiresque
at December 4, 2009 6:24 AM
comment #18
JulesWinnfield
says ...
Anything after Ultimatum would be beating a dead horse. By the 3rd book, he has 2 kids, married and seems to be getting up there on age.
Posted by JulesWinnfield
at December 4, 2009 4:51 PM
comment #19
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