Well, that was quick: just days after rumors circulated that director Paul Greengrass (who helmed the critically acclaimed blockbuster ‘Bourne’ installments “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Bourne Ultimatum“) and original series star Matt Damon (who starred in the first three movies) were being courted by Universal for a return to the franchise, the director definitively shoots down the rumors. “It’s a figment of someone’s imagination,” the director told Empire. At least Jeremy Renner can breathe easier.
When Empire asked Greengrass about the rumors of his return he said, “I’ve absolutely no idea. I’m not being funny but, no, that’s just a figment of someone’s imagination.” When Empire persisted about when the last time he discussed the possibility of another sequel with the studio, the director also stonewalled. “Quite a while ago. We might have a laugh about it, but a serious conversation? Not for a long time.”
And it doesn’t exactly sound like the filmmaker is too keen to return to his spy movie past, either. “Um… listen, I loved the Bourne movies,” he told Empire. “I loved making them but it’s like anything in life, you’ve got to move on and do different things.”
The persistent rumor was that the studio was attempting to develop two ‘Bourne’ projects simultaneously: one would be a sequel to last summer’s surprisingly satisfying “The Bourne Legacy,” which starred Jeremy Renner as a new, similarly adept agent named Aaron Cross, and successfully continued the brand beyond the Damon originals. In a parallel development plan, so the story goes, Universal was attempting a fourth Damon-led ‘Bourne’ operation, this time with Greengrass. That no longer seems to be the case (if it was ever the case at all), and our money is on the Renner sequel to see the light of day sooner rather than later.
The “other things” Greengrass referred to seemingly includes his new film “Captain Phillips,” based on the real life tale of Somali pirates and starring Tom Hanks, which is scheduled to open the New York Film Festival before opening wide on October 11th.
In other related rumor news, Benedict Cumberbatch‘s reps have shot down the “Star Wars: Episode VII” rumors, but lets face it, you were smart enough to know that was BS.