14 DAY TRIAL // There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Jason Bourne did a smashing job of bringing the story of Jason Bourne on screen, under the careful direction of Paul Greengrass. While it wasn't a fateful adaptation of the Robert Ludlum novels, the movies brought the amnesic spy into the 21st century and they did it well.
It's no wonder that that rumors about a possible return to the screen have run rampant, but both Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass have vehemently denied any sequel for the spy movie franchise which ended in 2007 with “The Bourne Ultimatum.”
Now, in an interview with CNBC, Matt Damon all of a sudden has a change of heart and admits that he's willing to do a sequel if the story is good and Paul Greengrass will be directing. He said that he liked that the character ended the story on a good note and that he would “love to see what happened to him.”
“I've always been open to it if Paul Greengrass is the director,” said Matt, adding that “We've just never been able to come up with a story. So if any of your viewers have a story, please call Universal and submit it.”
After Damon left the successful franchise in 2007, the studio decided that a sequel would be lucrative, so they brought in Jeremy Renner who starred in “The Bourne Legacy.” The movie performed modestly in the box office.
It managed to tell a different story but intertwined it with Bourne's original tale. It was more action-oriented and less dark than the Greengrass version and it didn't have the same psychological effect. Despite the fact that Bourne fans were disappointed, a sequel also starring Jeremy Renner is set to debut in cinemas in August 2015.
Ironically, Matt Damon never wanted to do the three movies, but he fell in love with the character and the story, and he was convinced to star in two more sequels, “I had just as many concerns as anybody about doing an action move. In fact, I never signed up for three Bourne movies, I signed up for one, because I didn't even know if I'd like to make an action movie…but it turned out that I loved it.”
Matt was not seen as an action hero prior to that, having starred in movies such as “Good Will Hunting” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” but it turned out that he had what it takes to be an action star and he wasn't just to the fans’ liking, but also to the critics' liking, something which also helped the movies in the box office.
However, now that people know Matt Damon is willing to star in a new movie, there is bound to be someone capable of putting a good script together, that will satisfy not only Matt Damon, but also Paul Greengrass.