Matt Damon has never really been kind in his assessment of the James Bond character, especially when put up to the realism and integrity of the ‘Jason Bourne’ franchise that Bond went ahead and aped the second it appeared they were being overtaken.
In a recent interview with the Miami Herald, Damon went off again, dismissing that Bond (and it’s reboot?) just can’t touch this. This being ‘Bourne.’ He also revealed that his pals Steven Soderbergh was once offered a gig directing a Bond flick.
“They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the Bourne films. Because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He’s repulsive.””Steve [Soderbergh, who produced yet another of Damon’s spy movies, ‘Syriana‘] told me that years ago he was offered a Bond movie. He told them he’d do it if they gave him creative control. Absolutely not, they said. They have a formula, they stick to it, and it makes them a lot of money. They know what they’re doing, and they’re going to keep doing it.”Having seen the very mediocre “Quantum of Solace,” Damon might be right. Damon also hints at the 4th ‘Bourne’ movie (which we all know is in the works), is something he’ll probably have to do after spending $125 million dollars on the risky upcoming Iraq war film, “The Green Zone” helmed by ‘Bourne’ director Paul Greengrass.
“When you make a $125 million Iraq movie, you kind of owe them a ‘Bourne’ movie, ” he said flatly.
“Some people do it like a mathematical equation: `One for them, one for me. I’m less conscious of it than that. But you’re always aware of how much leverage you have to do what you want to do. You want to maintain that. It helps that I like the Bourne movies. I’ve never felt like I’m slumming.”