This August sees the release of the fourth Bourne movie, The Bourne Legacy, which has adopted the unusual stance of ditching the franchise’s lead character, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), in favour of a brand new protagonist, Aaron Cross, portrayed by Jeremy Renner (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Avengers).
It’s certainly a strange tactic (especially considering the title), but from what we’ve seen in the trailer, The Bourne Legacy looks set to expand on the story established in the original trilogy, and if producer Frank Marshall has his way, it may also set the stage for Aaron Cross and Jason Bourne to team-up together in a fifth installment: “You see there are several different programmes in the movie with different skill sets,” says Marshall in an interview with Empire Magazine. “All possibilities are open. My dream is that in the next one we see Matt and Jeremy team up.”
In the same interview, Renner also discussed the differences between his character and Damon’s: “He’s coming from a completely different background to Jason [Bourne]. He knows exactly who he is; he signed up to this… He wants to be part of a team. I can tell you he was in the military then he joined the programme. He’s a person who wants to be part of something… to have a sense of purpose. But then it’s taken away.”
The Bourne Legacy is directed by Tony Gilroy, who wrote each of the previous three offerings, and sees Renner joined in the cast by Bourne veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn, along with series newcomers Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea), Edward Norton (The Incredible Hulk) and Oscar Isaac (Drive). The film is set to hit North American cinemas on August 10th, and arrives in the UK three days later.
Originally published June 27, 2012. Updated December 6, 2019.
