Matt Damon's comeback took precedence over the Bourne Legacy Sequel.
Lin, most renowned for helmingering the Fast & Furious films, discusses his efforts on the postponed Bourne Legacy Sequel on an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. The filmmaker said that although some encouraging development had been made on the follow-up, the movie finally fell apart after the decision was taken to concentrate efforts back on Damon's role. Lin answered:
Indeed, one among them was "Bourne". After I went for "Fast 6," [Universal's] Donna Langley asked, "What do you think about "Bourne"? I was like, "Oh man!," and like, Renner's incredible. I still quite miss what we were working on as well today.
"At that moment, Matt [Damon] seemed to have done with the franchise. Once more, I had a fantastic experience working on the script; getting to know Jeremy Renner was a bonus; he is a wonderful performer, but also a wonderful person being.
"I absolutely understand; Matt [Damon] and [Paul] Greengrass wanted to come back in the middle of creating it; that's their franchise and is quite awesome. But I think the time I had on it, I look back fondly on it, and there is really some stuff in there that I hope to be able to bring to life in other projects cause it was such a great time working with Andrew Baldwin on the script and Jeremy, just hanging around and talking about his character.
Why A Bourne Legacy Sequel Using Jeremy Renner Fell Apart Revealed By Director
Attached director Justin Lin revealed why the Jeremy Renner movie failed, as the Bourne Legacy Sequel never came to pass. Matt Damon originally gave novelist Robert Ludlum's titular character life in 2002's The Bourne Legacy; two immediate successors came in 2004 and 2007. The Bourne Legacy in 2012 tried to steer the franchise in a different direction and included Renner's new protagonist, Aaron Cross, before Damon came back once again in Jason Bourne in 2016.
By adding another agent who has also been genetically modified as part of a black operations conspiracy, The Bourne Legacy aimed to stretch the universe of these films beyond simply the core character. Cross finds himself on the run and seeking explanations as Jason Bourne's actions highlight the operation. Though Renner's franchise was successful and a supporting cast included Rachel Weisz, Oscar Isaac, and Edward Norton, The Bourne Legacy was seen as a step down from the original trilogy and finally did not live up to expectations in terms of direction of the series.
Should The Bourne Legacy have a sequel?
With filmmaker Tony Gilroy's Bourne Legacy and Damon's 2016 comeback not quite meeting these criteria, generally speaking the first three Bourne franchise installments are regarded as the greatest. Originally co-writer on the three previous films, Gilroy took up directing responsibilities for Renner's franchise premiere. The picture broke from Greengrass's more dynamic approach seen in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum.
Though it performed rather well at the box office, raking in nearly $276 million on a budget of $125 million, critics gave the 2012 revival rather varied opinions. Though it does top The Bourne Identity's $214 million haul, this falls short of its two predecessors and implies that public desire in seeing Cross's story carried on in a sequel may have existed. Looking back, it could have been more intriguing to keep Cross's narrative going even if Jason Bourne's evaluations emphasize a loss of franchise magic despite Damon and Greengass's comeback. Renner gave a great performance in The Bourne Legacy, and fresh characters portrayed by Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz also seem ready for more investigation. As does the arrival of "chems," which are effectively super soldier medications. Sadly, though, it does not seem like this sequel will be forthcoming very soon.
Returning To Matt Damon Didn't Save The Franchise
Originally walking away from the franchise, Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass felt satisfied with the three well-received films they had produced. But they both finally felt that the character had more to say, which produced Jason Bourne. In many respects, it is not shocking that the studio chose to support Damon's comeback to a character who had been a hit-maker instead of sticking with the mixed result of Renner's interpretation.
Of all, those engaged in Jason Bourne most certainly did not anticipate the mixed reaction Damon's fourth Bourne film would get compared to The Bourne Legacy. Jason Bourne merely further perplexed the franchise and raised questions on future direction, not a return to form. Although Matt Damon is expected to be starring in a sixth Bourne film, Jason Bourne and The Bourne Legacy have left the future of this series unclear.
The Bourne Legacy: A Synopsis
Based on Jason Bourne novels by Robert Ludlum, the fourth action thriller espionage movie is The Bourne Legacy. Starting from the original tales, Legacy presents Aaron Cross, a new character who takes the stage in the movie. Based on recent behavior by Jason Bourne, all special operations programs are decided to be terminated; Aaron Cross is one of them. Before they and their legacy are eradicated, Cross will dash to save a scientist engaged in his project - and himself.
Though reviews disagreed on whether the movie lived up to the expectations set by the previous trilogy, it was a commercial triumph. Clearly, though, there is a sizable viewership that loved the movie and would be eager for a sequel.
