The Jason Bourne franchise is seeking a new distributor, with numerous bidders vying to become the assassin anti-hero’s new overseer. In a report by THR, the film rights to the Jason Bourne franchise, along with those of the rest of Robert Ludlum’s bibliography, are up for sale after the rights finally lapsed from original distributor Universal Pictures. Streaming giant Netflix along with Skydance Media and Apple have reportedly had talks with the Ludlum estate for the Bourne film rights in what THR describes as a “potential reboot” of the Bourne franchise, though THR also reports that Universal could potentially reacquire the Bourne rights, as well.
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The film rights to Jason Bourne being shopped to prospective buyers comes after a period of extended dormancy in the Bourne franchise, with the most recent installment being 2016’s Jason Bourne. Although Jason Bourne was a major box office success with a $415 million haul, getting Bourne set for his next mission has proven challenging for Universal Pictures. That may partially stem from Matt Damon’s willingness to commit to further Bourne movies, with Damon having expressed somewhat mercurial feelings about returning since Jason Bourne.
Though Universal had hoped to get another Bourne off the ground after Jason Bourne‘s success, the rights being up for grabs signal what could be a sea change in Bourne’s future, specifically in whether the Bourne franchise’s distribution model sees the franchise head to streaming or stay in theaters. The interest of both Netflix and Apple in acquiring the Bourne franchise could potentially point to the former, though limited theatrical runs could still be on the cards as is the case for many of Netflix’s bigger original movies. By contrast, should Skydance (which is presently undergoing a merger with Paramount Global) acquire the Bourne rights, or Universal re-acquire them, Jason Bourne would be likely to continue calling movie theaters home.
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Based upon Robert Ludlum’s eponymous 1980 novel, The Bourne Identity was first adapted as a 1988 TV mini-series with Richard Chamberlain portraying Jason Bourne. The Bourne Identity was subsequently brought to the big-screen in Doug Liman’s 2002 movie, with Damon portraying the amnesia-stricken Jason Bourne. Over the course of the movie, Bourne discovers he is a government assassin employed by the shadowy Operation Treadstone. The subsequent Bourne movies pull back the curtain on Bourne more, revealing his real name to be David Webb, while following Bourne’s efforts to bring down Treadstone.
The Bourne Identity was a major hit in 2002, as were its subsequent sequels The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, and established Matt Damon as a capable and very convincing action hero (Damon having undergone extensive martial arts and stunt training for the movie.) Owing to Damon’s reluctance to return after Ultimatum, 2012’s The Bourne Legacy took the Bourne franchise in a non-Bourne direction, with Jeremy Renner portraying Bourne’s fellow assassin Aaron Cross, before Damon finally did return to the franchise in Jason Bourne.
Despite Universal not managing to get another Bourne movie in motion in time to prevent the franchise’s rights from going up for sale, the popularity of the series and the interest expressed by several early buyers indicates that the world hasn’t seen the last of Jason Bourne. It isn’t clear if a new buyer like Netflix would plan to reboot the Bourne franchise fresh or continue from where Jason Bourne left off, much less what involvement Matt Damon himself may have in the franchise’s future. However, Jason Bourne being shopped to a new home indicates that his return is assured, even if it may have taken some extreme ways to eventually happen.
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