Bourne Film Series Ready for New Ownership
The cat's out of the bag, folks! It looks like the Jason Bourne action franchise, owned by Universal Pictures for eons, might be changing hands. Yep, you read that right! Matt Damon, who's been our main man Bourne since 2002's The Bourne Identity, could soon be dancing with a different dance partner.
According to the wise folks at The Hollywood Reporter, WME and the Ludlum estate have been shopping the franchise around to a variety of potential suitors, and the interested parties? Well, let me tell ya, it's a pretty impressive lineup. We're talking Skydance, Apple, and Netflix, folks - big names in the biz.
Now, with movie theaters a hot mess and streamers dealing their fair share of tentpole duds, you can't blame studios for looking to get their hands on some reliable IP, just like how Amazon took the reins of the James Bond series, you know?
Universal has the option to hang on to the Bourne rights, of course. After all, they've brought us classics like The Bourne Ultimatum (2004), The Bourne Supremacy (2007), The Bourne Legacy (2012, with Jeremy Renner taking the lead), and even that 2016 revival with Matt Damon back in the role. But it's anyone's guess whether Damon will be back for round two - THR hints that it's still too early to tell.
Behind the scenes, the series has attracted some serious talent. Tony Gilroy, the brain behind Andor, has penned or co-written all but one entry, and even directed The Bourne Legacy. Other directors? Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass.
Universal's also gotten a smash hit out of its stunt show inspired by the series, The Bourne Stuntacular, at Universal Studios Florida. With the studio raking in the dough from the witchy Wicked, it'll be interesting to see if they stick with the spy-fi content they've scraped from Bourne all these years.
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- The potential buyers for the Jason Bourne action franchise, originally owned by Universal Pictures, include high-profile companies such as Skydance, Apple, and Netflix.
- With the future of the Bourne franchise uncertain, it remains to be seen if Matt Damon, who has played the lead role since 2002's The Bourne Identity, will return for another installment.
- Tony Gilroy, known for writing and directing various entries in the Bourne series, is one of the talented individuals behind the scenes of the franchise.
- University Studios Florida has found success with its stunt show, The Bourne Stuntacular, which is based on the Bourne series, alongside their hit show Wicked.
