Jason Bourne is going rogue again — this time offscreen. After two decades at Universal, the high-octane spy franchise is preparing to leave its longtime studio home. The next chapter for the Bourne series isn’t another globe-trotting thriller, but rather a rights bidding war. WME, representing the estate of author Robert Ludlum, is shopping the franchise to potential buyers, with Captivate Entertainment handling management of the property. According to The Hollywood Reporter, interested parties include heavyweights like Apple, Netflix, and Skydance.
The Bourne franchise, launched in 2002 with Doug Liman’s The Bourne Identity, helped redefine modern spy thrillers with its gritty, grounded style and relentless pacing. Matt Damon starred as the amnesiac assassin-turned-fugitive Jason Bourne, a role he returned to for two sequels directed by Paul Greengrass: The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Both films were critical and commercial successes, cementing the franchise’s place alongside other genre-defining series like James Bond and Mission: Impossible.
In 2012, Jeremy Renner headlined the spin-off The Bourne Legacy, which expanded the franchise’s universe but failed to match the impact of Damon’s entries. Four years later, Damon and Greengrass reunited for Jason Bourne, the fifth film in the series. Though it performed solidly at the box office, development on a sixth instalment stalled. A TV spin-off, Treadstone, premiered in 2019 but lasted only one season.
Despite the franchise’s box office total exceeding US$1.6 billion globally, momentum for a new film has wavered. In 2023, there was a glimmer of revival when Edward Berger, coming off the success of All Quiet on the Western Front, was tapped to direct a new Bourne movie. Damon hinted at being open to returning, saying on The Late Show in early 2024 that Berger had pitched a promising concept. However, by October, Berger admitted development had stalled, saying he hadn’t yet found the right story to justify reviving the character.
Berger’s hesitation echoed a broader challenge the franchise faces: how to evolve in a time when audiences expect fresh angles, even from established brands. With Bourne now heading into an uncertain future, questions loom over whether a reboot is in store, or if the series will bring Damon back for one last run.
As streaming platforms invest heavily in legacy IPs (Amazon’s acquisition of the James Bond franchise being a recent example) Bourne could be an appealing addition. For now, Jason Bourne is in limbo, waiting for his next assignment. Whether it’s a theatrical return or a streaming revival, whoever wins the rights will be tasked with cracking the code on how to make a Bourne film matter in 2025.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
HSALS
