Frank Marshall says Matt Damon will not appear in the next Bourne film

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Don’t get your hopes up that the reason behind the delayed release for the sequel to THE BOURNE LEGACY was to include Matt Damon in the film. Not even two days after the news broke are we being told it isn’t going to happen.

THE BOURNE LEGACY producer Frank Marshall shot down the rumors emphatically stating that the push has nothing to do with Damon and that Damon is not back for the next film. He went on to explain to The Hollywood Reporter why the change occurred.

“[Director] Justin Lin is working with Andrew Baldwin on an Aaron Cross script/story that they pitched us a few months ago. I talk to Justin all the time and the script is not ready. It’s a summer movie, and if we don’t start preproduction now, we can’t make next summer. Therefore, it’s a wise decision to move to 2016.”

Matt Damon has previously hinted that he would be willing to return to the action franchise he starred in for a decade that spawned three films only if director Paul Greengrass returned as well. Greengrass also directed Damon in the film GREEN ZONE and has since gone on to help the Oscar-nominated CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. He is also developing a pair of films while Damon has a full slate ahead of him as well.

THE BOURNE LEGACY, while not as good as the Damon films, was still a pretty good flick. Matt Damon‘s character and visage was seen throughout the movie and shared a thematic connection with Jeremy Renner‘s Aaron Cross. Does this mean the pair will never reunite in the franchise? Never say never, but definitely not in the upcoming fifth film.

The untitled sequel to THE BOURNE LEGACY will hit theaters on July 15, 2016.