Rumor: ‘Bourne 5’ Was Delayed To Bring Back Matt Damon [UPDATED]
UPDATE:ProducerFrank Marshallhasissued a straightforward denialthat Matt Damon will be back forBourne 5. More info below after the original story text.
Universal didn’t offer an official explanation when itannouncedthis week thatBourne 5had been pushed back a year to 2016. But the rumor mill, as usual, is happy to fill in the blanks.
The latest (unconfirmed) word is thatBourne 5was delayed to accommodate a busy star. No, notJeremy Renner.Matt Damon. Hit the jump for more on Damon’s possible return.
Rumors of Damon returning to theBournefranchise have cropped up every several months for the past, oh, seven years or so. And it’s possible this one won’t pan out either.THR, for one, pins theBournedelay onStraight Outta Compton, which Universal wants to open next summer.
For his art, Damon has continually maintained that he’d be “open” to a return provided that 1)Paul Greengrasscan return as well and 2) they can come up with the right story.The first of those conditions clearly hasn’t been met, sinceJustin Linis still set to helm. However, Greengrassdoesn’t seem all that interestedin the franchise anymore anyway. Somaybe the right story (and the right paycheck, no doubt) was enough to bring Damon back.
Or perhaps, asLatino Review’s source suggests, Damon just needs a win.Monuments MenandElysiumweren’t total flops, but neither one set the box office on fire, either. With Damon, Renner, and Lin on board,Bourne 5would be a guaranteed hit.
The as-yet-untitled fifthBournemovie is scheduled to openJuly 15, 2016. That date puts it up againstIce Age 5, which is much steeper competition than you might think. The lastIce Agemade an amazing $877 million at the box office, or over three times whatThe Bourne Legacydid.
Update:Scratch this one, as Frank Marshall has given a flat-out denial of the story.
Sounds reasonable enough, though of course there’s always the chance he’s lying.
