Fifth 'Bourne' movie in the works

Credit: Mary Cybulski

Despite the lack of Matt Damon's Jason Bourne, the film franchise bearing his name is going to continue just the same.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Universal is moving forward with a fifth Bourne movie, with the studio hiring screenwriter Anthony Peckham (Sherlock Holmes) to script the next installment in the franchise, which will continue to follow Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross. Renner took over from Damon after the conclusion of the original Bourne trilogy with 2007?s Bourne Ultimatum. Last summer’s The Bourne Legacy, co-starring Edward Norton as the film's seedy government villain, was a solid success, earning a worldwide gross of $276 million. While this is considerably below Damon's last outing, which grossed $443 million, it's well above the profits of the first film in the franchise, 2002's The Bourne Identity.

Producer Frank Marshall reportedly wants to unite Damon and Renner for a Bourne movie, but Damon has repeatedly stated he will not do another Bourne film without director Paul Greengrass. The fifth Bourne film has no announced director just yet, but Damon isn't said to have the best relationship with Bourne Legacy director Tony Gilroy, so the odds that Damon would return are reduced drastically should Gilroy return to helm. However, there is a little hope in the form of Peckham, who wrote the script for Invictus, the film which landed Damon a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Perhaps a stunning script from Peckham would be able to convince Damon to return to the action franchise?

Whether Damon returns or whether Renner has to fly it solo for another outing, Universal is banking on the Bourne franchise having legs at the box office.