UPDATED: Variety reports that Universal is denying the story that Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon may be returning for a new BOURNE film. Damn.
A few weeks ago, Universal made it known that they were moving forward with another chapter in the ongoing Bourne franchise and a sequel to THE BOURNE LEGACY. The Jeremy Renner sequel grossed $113 million, making it the lowest grossing film in the series. While THE BOURNE LEGACY was not awful, it definitely suffered from losing director Paul Greengrass and star Matt Damon. With that in mind, Universal may be hedging their bets and are working to bring Greengrass and Damon back for the next film in the franchise.
Twitch is reporting that Universal is negotiating with Damon to return for the sequel to THE BOURNE LEGACY. Damon has said in the past he would only come back if Greengrass returned which may be why both are being courted. This throws a wrench into the mix for LEGACY director Tony Gilroy and star Jeremy Renner. Universal previously hinted that Damon and Renner could conceivably share the screen, but those details are currently unknown.
Jeremy Renner was good in THE BOURNE LEGACY, but he had the same problem there as he does in THE AVENGERS and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL; he just isn’t exciting enough to carry the movie. Even in THE AVENGERS, Renner came off as lethargic and uninterested. I would not be shocked if Universal was worried about another Renner-centric BOURNE movie. But, if Renner and Damon team up or go head to head this may suddenly become a movie to watch.