Is your dad still like, "Wait, Jason Bourne isn't dead?" And, "Hold on, someone else is playing Matt Damon?" Or, "Honey, can you turn that down? I'm watching the trailer for this 'Bourne' prequel and I'm trying to figure where Ben Affleck fits into all this." And are you, meanwhile, are just shaking your head in disdain?
If you're confused, and you really shouldn't be at this point, but if you are, Universal may have a solution for you. The studio has released a rather infomative, Look Inside" featurette that explains how "The Bourne Legacy" works within the universe of the original 'Bourne' trilogy. Yes, Matt Damon's not in it. Jeremy Renner is the new star in the form of another agent in an organization similar to the CIA black-ops program Treadstone, but different. And as Rachel Weisz, who plays Dr. Marta Shearling in the picture says, "It's a complete offshoot from the trilogy that came before." And it actually takes place at the same time as "The Bourne Ultimatum," at least at first.
"We wanted to create a larger conspiracy," director Tony Gilroy said, the man that wrote the first three films and now is helming the ship. "The Treadstone program you saw [in the original films], was only one program… there's a ripple effect."
As it turns out, there's more than one agent out there (then again, the first three 'Bourne' films also had tons of other agents, many of whom Jason Bourne tangled with including Karl Urban, Edgar Ramirez and Clive Owen). Consider this your orientation day, by now you should have figured it out. Also starring Edward Norton, Oscar Isaac, Stacy Keach, and more, "The Bourne Legacy" hits theaters on August 10. For some teaser thoughts about the film, which we described as "high-speed chess," read our lengthy chat with Tony Gilroy that was published late last week. Below are two interviews with Renner and Norton, but beware, spoilers may abound so proceed with caution.