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One of Hollywood’s blockbuster action franchises, valued at $1.6 billion, theBournefilm series, starring top-notch A-lister, Matt Damon almost went downhill after its fourth installment. Damon led the first three installments,The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy,andThe Bourne Ultimatum.However, decided to opt out of the franchise in 2012’sThe Bourne Legacyafter he found outBourneveteran director Paul Greengrass wasn’t directing the fourth sequel.
The project went into the hands of director Tony Gilroy, starring Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross. It is the only sequel that doesn’t include the titular Jason Bourne by Matt Damon, and grossed at the lowest of all sequels, at $280 million, perThe Numbers. Regardless, the Jeremy Renner-starrer was sanctioned for a sequel but never materialized. Director Justin Lin, who was appointed by Universal Studios for the sequel describes why.
Also read:3 Unexpected Jobs Jeremy Renner Did to Pay the Bills Before Earning Millions From Avengers Movies
Jeremy Renner’sBourne Legacynever got its potential sequel
After Tony Gilroy’s stint withThe Bourne Legacy,Universal Studios eyedFast and Furiousdirector Justin Lin to helm a sequel to theJeremy Renner-starrer. Sadly, the sequel never made it out of pre-production. Appearing on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast with Josh Horowitz, Justin Lin revealed whyThe Bourne Legacysequel was scrapped despite progress being made. He said,
“It was after I left for ‘Fast 6’ and [Universal’s] Donna Langley reached out and said, ‘What do you think about ‘Bourne’ and I was like, ‘Oh man!’ and like, Renner’s amazing. And to this day, I still kinda miss what we were working on.”
The primary reason wasMatt DamonandPaul Greengrass’s return to the franchise. After Damon, who is also the face of the franchise, decided to reprise his character as Jason Bourne, Universal Studios halted all other plans in the franchise and focused on the fifth sequel, 2016’sJason Bourne.
Yet, Lin reminisced about his little time on theBourneproject, hailing veteranBournescreenwriter, Andrew Baldwin, who was also hired for the sequel, and Jeremy Renner. Lin disclosed that he intends to incorporate some of the movie’s “stuff” in other projects of his own.
Also read:Jeremy Renner Tricked MCU Fans, Kept Avengers: Endgame Secrets Safe With His Fake Movie Starring Paul Rudd
The Bourne Legacywas a kick in the gut for theBournefranchise
Even though Lin was all emotional aboutThe Bourne Legacysequel falling apart, the franchise was taking a big risk there. Overall,The Bourne Legacyfailed to match the standards set by Damon in the former installments. With a lukewarm reception and mixed reviews, it became the lowest-performingBournefilm at the domestic box office with $113 million, per The Numbers.
Probably not the Marvel star’s fault, but fans were simply not interested in watching Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross star in a Matt Damon-led franchise.The movie earned a 6.6 IMDb rating, unusual for other greatly-ratedBournemovies.
Also read:“No, it’s not awkward for me. I’m rewriting you”: The Incredible Hulk Writer Has the Worst Luck – After Edward Norton, Even Joss Whedon Humiliated Him
The finalBourneinstallment which marked the return of Matt Damon’s Bourne, 2016’sJason Bournewas well-received, earning $416 million, the second-highest in the franchise.
Tiyasa Biswas
Articles Published :203
Tiyasa Biswas is a Content Writer at FandomWire. With more than a year of expertise in content spanning over multiple fields: entertainment, sports and features, Tiyasa seeks to bring her flair to the world of fandom. Her journalistic works have garnered significant viewership, with her articles gauging a worldwide audience.
